


It's not living (if it's not with you)

by Galaxiez



Series: Our Halcyon Days [2]
Category: Warrior Nun (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, I was cringing while writing them, there are definitely too many puns, there wasn't gonna be a part two, there's some angst, there's some fluff, yet here we are
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 21,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26117971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galaxiez/pseuds/Galaxiez
Summary: Graduation is looming ever closer, and Ava finds she’s not excited about college coming to an end. Not excited at all.OrPart two of the College AU where Ava and Beatrice get nostalgic, Mary and Shannon are a power couple, Lilith and Camila have a secret, and Mother Superion isreallygoing to miss her favorite patrons.
Relationships: Shotgun Mary/Shannon Masters, Sister Beatrice/Ava Silva, Sister Camila/Sister Lilith (Warrior Nun)
Series: Our Halcyon Days [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1896439
Comments: 22
Kudos: 270





	It's not living (if it's not with you)

**Author's Note:**

> I thought the first 20k words in part one was enough to get Avatrice out of my system, but wow was I wrong. Part two was literally only going to be Avatrice in Paris, but then once I started I couldn’t stop, and suddenly here we are.  
> This story really writes itself. Enjoy!
> 
> Side Note: If you haven’t read part one, I highly suggest you peruse it before diving into this mess. Also, I jumped around when writing this, so it’s possible there are some mistakes or inconsistencies in the timeline. My apologies if you come across any!
> 
> Side Note #2: This story begins at the end of Ava and Beatrice’s senior (4th) year of college. In case you don’t remember from part one, Ava and Beatrice got together during their first semester of their junior (3rd) year of college.
> 
> Side Note #3: Has this fandom come up with names for Beatrice’s parents yet? I just made up my own for them but am interested if there’s been talk already about what their names should be

_Present Day, One Week till Graduation_

Ava twirled her pen between her fingers as she stared absentmindedly at the clock at the head of the classroom, her final exam for her International Communications course lying completed on the desk in front of her. She knew she was allowed to turn it in and leave as soon as she was finished, but a part of her wanted to linger in her last class at Areala University ever for a just a moment longer. This was it. She was done. Four years of assignments and tests and projects and essays, done. Just like that. And, while Ava knew she wasn’t always the sharpest tool in the shed (Mary made sure to tell her so at least once a week), she would be graduating with a 3.6 GPA, much to everyone’s surprise ( _“I’m cum laude, suckas!”_ ).

It was only when her professor broke the silence in the classroom by stating they only had ten minutes left to complete their finals, that Ava got up from her seat to turn hers in and left the classroom. It was all over, she was finally free! 

And yet…she felt strangely sad about that.

Ava left Schaefer Hall, where the majority of the Communications program was based, and she made her way towards Centennial Quad. It was a bright, sunny day in May, and Ava smiled as she looped her thumbs around the straps of her backpack, reveling in the good weather as she walked through campus. To her left, Ava passed by Ives Hall, where she had had a good amount of her lectures her freshman year. There was one class that really stuck out from her first semester at Areala University: Anthropology 101. Now, Ava could lie to you and say that the introductory course on linguistics and language was what first sparked her interest in studying Communications, but really, Anthropology 101 was special to her because it was the place where Ava had met the most important person in her life; the person who had come to mean the world to Ava and gave her a reason to smile on a daily basis.

It’s where the story of Ava and Beatrice really began in the first place.

***

_Three Years and Nine Months Ago_

18-year-old Ava Silva skipped up the steps of Ives as she made her way to what was only her second college class ever. She found the lecture hall no problem and pushed her way past the double doors before coming to a halt at the top of the pitched floor and looked down into the room, suddenly feeling apprehensive at the sheer size of the theater. The hall could easily seat well over two hundred people if it wanted, and the seats were starting to fill up quickly with incoming students. Ava started making her way down the stairs looking for an open spot somewhere in the middle, not wanting to be too close or too far from the front of the room.

And that’s where Ava saw her. 

She was sitting about six or so rows from the front and seven seats in. Her black hair was pulled back in a casual bun and her facial features were so fine that Ava felt drawn to her. She started moving through the row, stepping over a couple of other students, and when the mystery girl glanced her way and met Ava’s eyes, Ava just knew she had to know her.

Ava took the empty seat next to the girl, setting her backpack down at her feet and turning to the girl, wanting to see her warm gaze again.

“Hi,” Ava said, always with the air of confidence.

“Hi,” The girl said back. Her voice was deeper than Ava’s, but pleasantly so.

“I’m Ava.” Ava said, sticking one hand out to her. “I’m a freshman, I haven’t declared a major yet, I’m honestly not sure what Anthropology actually is, and for some strange reason I’ve had _All-Star_ by Smash Mouth stuck in my head all morning so I’m just going to apologize in advance if you hear me humming it.”

The girl was obviously taken aback by Ava’s quick introduction, but she graced Ava with a smile anyway. Looking back, Ava really should’ve known in that moment that she was a goner.

“It’s nice to meet you, Ava.” She had an accent ( _British maybe?_ ), and the girl’s hand fit perfectly in Ava’s when she shook it. “I’m Beatrice.”

“Beatrice.” Ava repeated her name, almost unconsciously, before dropping her hand (and immediately missing the contact).

“And don’t worry, Anthropology is just a fancy way of saying that this class is studying how people talk to each other.” Beatrice explained.

Ava nodded. “Ah, well, that’s a relief. Because if there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s talking. I mean, I don’t always make sense and I have a tendency of to deflect when I get uncomfortable and I’m well aware that my sense of humor _is_ rather subjective, but that’s neither here nor there. Talking is my forte. I’m going to crush this class.”

Beatrice shot Ava that smile of hers again. “You sure seem to think highly of yourself.”

“Yeah, well, not to brag but I have been told that I’m –” Ava crossed one leg over the other and jiggled her foot to get Beatrice’s attention. “Fun to _converse_ with.” 

Beatrice glanced between Ava and Ava’s shoe. “Did you just –”

“Yup, and I’m already regretting it.”

Beatrice laughed out loud, and the pair got quite a few looks from other students sitting near them. It was a magical sound

“Well, _somebody once told me_ that I’m not so bad myself.”

Ava’s mouth dropped open as she took in the slight smirk Beatrice was sporting.

“Very impressive, Beatrice.” Ava said in admiration. “If I’m not mistaken, I believe we have just started what is going to be a beautiful friendship.”

Beatrice placed her elbow on her armrest and leaned her chin on her hand while she looked at Ava, her brown eyes sparkling. “I get the feeling you’re a strange one, aren’t you Ava?”

“Why yes, yes I am.” 

And she was pleased that Beatrice really didn’t seem to mind that at all.

When their class was dismissed two hours (and many puns) later, Beatrice asked Ava if she would like to go with her to Holy Grounds, where Beatrice had plans to meet up with her roommate for a cup of coffee. Ava happily accepted the invitation and she spent the next few hours sitting in a booth with Beatrice and Camila, and Ava decided that this whole ‘having friends’ thing was better than she could’ve ever imagined. 

Beatrice and Ava exchanged phone numbers before parting ways, with plans to meet up the next day for breakfast. Ava skipped back to her dorm, feeling incredibly light and already looking forward to when she would get to see Beatrice again.

***

_Present Day_

Ava found Beatrice in the middle of Centennial Quad, posted up on a blanket she had spread on the grass, with her head buried in a book. Ava smiled upon seeing her girlfriend, looking unbelievably cute as she practically glowed in the sunlight, and Ava’s heart swelled at the sight. Beatrice seemed to feel Ava’s gaze, because she looked up and her eyes met Ava’s within seconds from across the quad.

“Hey, you.” Beatrice said as Ava approached and plopped down onto the blanket beside her. Beatrice set her book aside and welcomed Ava with a soft kiss. “How’d your final go?”

“Aced it, probably.” Ava said nonchalantly. “Well, okay, there were a few questions I mostly guessed on, but for the most part I feel pretty good about it.” She hesitated slightly. “I definitely passed, at least.”

Beatrice hummed softly and laced her fingers with Ava’s. “I’m sure you more than just passed.” Ava loved how supportive Beatrice could be. “So…how do you feel now that senior year is officially over?”

Ava must’ve had a weird look on her face, because Beatrice’s eyebrows got all scrunched up in concern. She tucked a strand of hair behind Ava’s ear. “Something wrong? Because I was fully expecting you to be much more excited to be through with your finals than you seem to be.”

Ava looked down as she played absentmindedly with Beatrice’s fingers. “I am excited to be done. Just, not excited to be _done_ , if you know what I mean.”

“I don’t think I do, want to explain it to me?”

Ava sighed before looking back up to meet Beatrice’s expectant gaze. “It’s just that – everything’s going to be different now, you know? Now that school is over…I don’t know. I guess I’m just not ready for it to really be the end.”

“You don’t want things to change.” 

Ava shook her head. “I’m really going to miss all this.” She gestured around the quad. “The last four years have been so good for me. What if this is as good as it gets? What if these years are the best of my life and I never fully appreciated them? It’s all gone by so fast and now we have to move out of Cat’s Cradle next week and our family is splitting up and –” Ava let out a breath. “I’m just really going to miss this place, that’s all. This is my home; you, Mary, Camila, even Lilith. You’re my home. And it sucks that things have to change.”

Beatrice ran her thumb soothingly over the back of Ava’s hand. “Not everything’s going to change, you know. You’re still going to have me to come home to every day. And Mary’s only moving to DC and she’s already promised that you can visit as often as you want on weekends. Lilith and Camila…well they’ll be harder to keep in touch with while they’re backpacking around Europe, but they’re planning to meet us when we’re visiting my parents in Switzerland in July so at least there’s that to look forward to.”

Ava smiled at the reassurances. “I know, it’s just weird to think that we’re all going off on our own paths now. But you’re right; it doesn’t mean we’ll be any less of a family.”

“Nope, you can’t get rid of us that easily.”

“Speaking of your parents,” Ava mused. “Don’t you think it’s weird that they offered us a free trip to Switzerland? It makes sense for you, but they’re even paying for _my_ expenses.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “When are you going to accept that they might actually like you? I mean, you’re my dad’s only other friend on the New York Times app besides me and he texts me to brag _every time_ his crossword completion time is faster than yours. Like, he couldn’t care less if he beats me. It doesn’t bring him nearly half as much joy as it does when he challenges you. And my mom…well, she doesn’t look like she wants to poison you when you’re in the same room anymore, so that’s something.”

Ava smiled. “Remember how pinched up her face would get whenever she talked to me? Actually, now that I think about it, Lilith used to look at me in the same way back when we first met. Weird.”

Beatrice laughed. “Well, pinched-up faces or not, you somehow managed to soften both my mom _and_ Lilith up a bit. My parents may not be the best people in the world, but I truly think that, deep down ( _yeah, really deep down,_ Ava thought), my happiness matters to them. And since you make me happy, maybe they’re realizing that you matter, too.”

Ava snorted, but figured Beatrice had a point. Ava gazed fondly at her girlfriend as she was brought back to that fateful day during their junior year of college when Beatrice and Ava decided to break the news to Bea’s parents that they were so much more than ‘just friends’…

***

_One Year and Two Months Ago_

“I want you to meet my parents.”

Ava looked up from her computer to find Beatrice standing in front of her, nervously biting at her bottom lip and fiddling with the straps of her backpack. 

Ava was confused. She glanced conspicuously to her right and left, confirming that she was indeed still the only occupant of the couch she had taken up residency on in the student center. She looked behind her to double-check that there was no one else in the near vicinity, and even made a show of peering under the coffee table that she currently had her feet kicked up on. Finally, she looked back up at Beatrice, who was watching her with a puzzled expression. 

“Sorry, are you talking to me?” Ava asked. “Do you have me confused with someone else? Because, if I’m not mistaken, Bea, I’ve already met your parents. Multiple times, in fact. You remember spring break in Cancun, right? You were there, I was there, both of your parents were there…ring any bells?” Ava gasped suddenly “Don’t tell me you forgot about last summer? I spent the entire month of August at your estate home on the Cape bonding with your parents! Do you know how many of their hobbies I had to endure to get them to tolerate me, even just a little bit? But it was worth it because by the time we got back to school your dad had declared my backswing to be ‘dynamite’ and your mom had finally admitted that I had a point when I said Nabokov’s _Pale Fire_ is actually better than _Lolita_ and has really been slept on by fans of classic literature. Do those memories mean nothing to you? Geesh, if I had known you were going to make me start over, I wouldn’t have bothered putting in so much effort in the first place.”

Beatrice sighed, shaking her head in amusement. “Okay, okay, you’ve made your point. I wasn’t being clear enough. Sorry, that one’s on me.” She plopped down in the empty space on the couch next to Ava, turning to face her. “What I meant was, I want my parents to meet you…as my girlfriend.”

Ava was silent for a moment as she rolled those words over in her head. She knew her facial expression must’ve looked far from excited at the prospect when she felt Beatrice tug anxiously on her sleeve

“I know this is unexpected and a lot to process,” Beatrice said. “But I really need to know what you’re thinking right now.”

“Are you mad at me, Bea? Did I do something wrong?”

“What? No, why would you think that?”

“Well, I don’t know, why else would you subject me to this _torture_?” Ava let out a strained laugh. “Because once your mom learns that we’re ‘together’, I’m a dead woman walking.”

“Ava –”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong. It’s great that you want to tell your parents about our relationship. Really it is. That’s a huge step for you, I get that. And I’m _so proud_ of you for wanting to do this. But – just hear me out for a sec – what if we _don’t_? Like, what if we just never tell them? It they never know about us, then they won’t have any reason to send a KGB hitman after me for defiling their daughter. I love you and all, Bea, but death by Jon and Delphine is not the way I want to go out. I’ve always pictured a more heroic death for myself, like I push some unobservant civilian out of the way of an oncoming train or I sacrifice myself as bait for the pack of bears that attacks us on our next camping trip. And god damnit, your parents are not going to take that away from me!”

“Ava!” Beatrice rolled her eyes in exasperation before leaning forward to capture Ava’s lips in a quick kiss, cutting off Ava’s panicked rambling and shutting her up (a method that has been scientifically proven to be effective after many trials). “Relax, love.” Beatrice said huskily once she pulled away. 

Ava beamed at the pet name, and even more so that Beatrice didn’t feel the need to glance nervously around the room to see if anyone had noticed their brief PDA (in the five months they have been dating Beatrice had come a _long_ way in how comfortable she was in being romantically involved with Ava to the public eye).

“If you really don’t want to tell them, we don’t have to.” Beatrice said, rubbing Ava’s arm soothingly. “I’m just so sick of feeling ashamed around my parents because of my sexuality. And you – being with you – I’ve never felt less ashamed of anything in my life. I think they need to know that.”

Ava softened completely, slipping her hand into Beatrice’s and intertwining their fingers. Ava was such a sucker when it came to Beatrice; her girlfriend had Ava completely wrapped around her finger (which Beatrice was _well_ aware of). “You really want to do this?”

Beatrice just nodded, biting at her lip again.

Ava let out a dramatic, resounding sigh. “All right, fine. Let’s tell your parents. I just hope you know a good fiduciary, because I _will_ need one as it’s very likely I won’t be around for much longer.”

Beatrice laughed and pressed a kiss to Ava’s cheek. 

“I do know one, actually. But…I’m afraid there won’t be time to consult with her. My parents are in town and are taking us to dinner tonight.” She said that last part very quickly, as if hoping Ava wouldn’t catch it.

Ava gaped at her, dumbfounded.

“They’re picking us up at seven, try not to be late.” Beatrice patted Ava’s arm, then jumped off the couch and swung her backpack over her shoulders, all while avoiding Ava’s gaze. Ava was (for once) at a loss for words. “Well, I’d love to stay and talk more about this, but I’ve actually got to go.” Beatrice said casually as she slowly started backing away from Ava. “I’ve got class, you know, don’t want to be late…love you, bye!” Beatrice threw over her shoulder, and just like that, she was gone.

Ava slumped down in her seat and flung her head back in defeat, staring forlornly at the ceiling. “Well, fuck.”

-

When Ava returned to Cat’s Cradle later that afternoon after Beatrice dropped the bomb on her that her parents were in town, she immediately sought out Mary’s council. Ava attempted to barge into Mary’s second-floor bedroom (which she has been prone to do in the past) but was met with resistance as the door was locked. Ava knew the locked door meant Shannon was over and that Ava was supposed stay far away from them (Mary has threatened Ava too many times to count for interrupting her and Shannon’s ‘sexy time’), but this was an emergency.

“Mary, SOS!” Ava yelled while she banged on the door. “I really need your help. I’m talking a Category A type situation here!”

The door cracked open after a few more seconds of Ava’s fists striking wood and Mary’s face appeared on the other side. She did _not_ look happy.

“What do you want?” Mary hissed “If this is some kind of joke, Ava, so help me –”

Ava didn’t give her a chance to finish her threat.

“Beatrice’s parents are in town tonight and they’re taking us to dinner and Beatrice wants to tell them that we’re together, like _together_ together, and they might actually kill me when they find out and I’m freaking out, Mary, I’m FREAKING OUT.” Ava let that all out in one breath, her voice sounding more and more hysterical as she went on.

Mary stared into Ava’s wide, frantic, puppy dog eyes for a few moments before turning towards her bed. “Shannon, get dressed. Baby H needs our guidance.”

-

“No, absolutely not.” Mary said.

“ _Please_ don’t.” Shannon agreed.

“Why do you even own that? Tell me it was a gift and you didn’t actually pay for it.” Mary added.

“Oh, come on. It’s not that bad.” Ava muttered as she looked back at the dress she held in her hands.

“It looks like summer threw up all over it.” Mary said with her eyebrows raised. “I know floral print is in these days, but my god that’s atrocious.”

Ava groaned and flung herself into her bed. “I’m so fucked!” She yelled into her pillows. “I have less than an hour to get ready and I have nothing to wear and Beatrice’s parents are going to eat me alive!”

Mary chuckled sympathetically as she patted Ava on the back. “There, there.”

Lilith appeared in the doorway of Ava’s bedroom taking in the scene in front of her, glancing from the pile of clothes Ava had tossed on her floor to where Ava lay defeated in her bed. “What’s going on? I heard Ava yelling and assumed Mary was messing with her again, so I came to see the show.”

Mary grinned. “Not this time, but get in here. You’re going to love this. Ava is going to dinner with Beatrice’s parents tonight and Beatrice wants to tell them that her and Ava are dating.”

Lilith let out a low whistle and looked at Ava, who was still face down on her bed. “It was nice knowing you, Baby H. Would you like a casket funeral or a cremation?”

Ava grumbled something under breath that suspiciously sounded like _I’ll show you a funeral_ , but then she sat up suddenly with wide eyes as she turned to Lilith.

“Wait a second. Lilith, you come from a family of high society. Can _you_ help me pick out an outfit for tonight? I need to wear something that says, ‘classy woman’ with a mix of ‘financially responsible’ and ‘why no, of course I’ve never had indecent thoughts about your daughter’”

Shannon chuckled from where she was perched on the edge of Ava’s desk. “That’s a pretty decent description, actually.”

Lilith sighed, but she walked over to look through Ava’s closet anyway. 

“I can’t believe Beatrice is ready to tell her parents.” Mary mused as Lilith pulled out one of Ava’s tops, scrutinizing it for a moment before shaking her head and putting it back on the rack. “I always knew Bea was made of strong stuff, but this is a bold move even for her.”

“Didn’t you say her family isn’t exactly…accepting of diverse sexualities?” Shannon asked. 

Mary nodded. “Oh yeah, they took it really hard when Bea first came out. Put her through a lot of inner turmoil. She must really care about you, Baby H, if she’s willing to put herself through all of that again.”

Ava sat up on her bed and drew her knees into her chest. “That’s why I really don’t want to mess this up tonight. Beatrice needs this dinner to go well.”

Lilith pulled out a black dress Ava wasn’t sure she had ever worn before and held it in front of her. It was all black with sleeves and a high neckline and long enough to hang down past Ava’s knees.

“This is the one.” Lilith decided, bringing it over to Ava. “It’s modest, not flashy, and has minimum skin exposure. Exactly what you need for the whole ‘meet the parents’ spiel.” 

“It’s a little Amish, but it should do.” Mary said in approval. “And it’ll cover that hickey on your shoulder.”

Ava blushed as Lilith tossed her the dress with a smirk. “Now get dressed. Then we can give you a quick run through on appropriate table manners. Lord knows you need it.”

-

Dinner was awkward. It was so awkward.

Ava sat next to Beatrice at their table at _Mama Maria’s_ feeling underdressed and completely out of place as Jon and Delphine stared expectantly at the two of them from across the table. It has been stated before that Ava is no stranger to awkward situations, but even this may have been too much for her to handle. There was nothing quite like some good ol’ dramatic irony.

And, unfortunately for everyone involved, Ava tended to ramble when she was uncomfortable. She hadn’t been able to stop talking since Beatrice’s parents had picked them up from Cat’s Cradle and drove them to the restaurant, describing in vivid detail about the ongoings of the Mass Media Seminar she had sat through just that morning. Under normal circumstances, Beatrice would be able to break in when Ava went on one of her rambles and get her to shut up, but tonight Bea was having her own mental battle with herself and Ava was left to her own devices. And she knew she was doing it, but she literally couldn’t stop herself. Ava was experiencing an excessive case of word vomit that even the soothing touch of Beatrice’s hand on her knee under the table couldn’t quell.

This lasted all through the first course (yes, Beatrice’s parents were those people who had multiple course meals). Ava rambled, Beatrice’s parents (probably) wished they had never agreed when Bea asked if Ava could accompany them that evening, and Beatrice took full advantage of the bottomless wine service they seemed to have, easily polishing off three glasses of the Syrah before they had even finished their _Carpaccio_. 

Beatrice cleared her throat when the main course came around, and Ava knew it was go time (though she wished Beatrice would wait until after Ava had finished her _Burrata_. If she were to die tonight, she would at least like to die with a full stomach). Beatrice drained her fourth glass of wine, then set her silverware down with force, getting everyone’s attention at the table. 

_This is not going to go well_ , Ava thought, as Beatrice said, “Mom, dad, there’s something I need to tell you.” _This is not going to go well at all. Abort the mission. ABORT_.

Beatrice bulldozed right on through as if she couldn’t even hear Ava’s inner thoughts. How rude.

“Ava and I are dating.” She rushed out, eyes flicking between her mother and father. Ava had to give her credit for how steady her voice was. “Dating as in we’re romantically involved. With each other. Ava and I are romantically involved with each other. Girlfriends, some might say. Ava is my girlfriend whom I am romantically dating.”

_Oh god, this is a train wreck._

The silence at the table was stifling once Beatrice finally stopped talking. Ava could feel her shaking beside her while she stared expectantly at her parents.

Beatrice stared at Jon and Delphine. Jon and Delphine stared at Beatrice.

And then like a unit, Jon and Delphine shifted their unreadable gaze to Ava, and Ava had to fight to keep her facial expressions neutral while she stared back.

What seemed like ages later, Jon let out a long sigh. He took his glasses off, setting them on the table in front of him, and rubbed at his temples. 

“How long has this been going on?” He said, his voice was steady but scarily quiet.

Beatrice gulped. “About five months now.” She whispered.

Delphine covered her mouth with one hand and shook her head in disbelief. Ava was alarmed when she noticed that Delphine’s eyes were starting to water.

“How could you do this, Beatrice?” Delphine hissed out through her teeth. “It’s one thing for you to have to go and date a woman, but then you just have to pick _her_?” Delphine shot a scathing look at Ava. “You are willingly choosing to be with this low-life bottom feeder?”

“Mom!” Beatrice snapped, but Delphine wasn’t done.

“She’s just using you, Beatrice! She’s in this for the money or for the connections; she’s just going to ruin you. If you’re going to insist on living this – this lifestyle of yours, can’t you at least be with someone deserving of your social standards? What about that other roommate of yours? Lilith? She at least comes from a good family and has an acceptable background!”

“Delphine,” Jon placed a hand on his wife’s arm. “Let’s just take a step back here.”

“No Jon, this is unacceptable!”

Ava glared indignantly. “Hey, look, whatever you think I’m scheming here, you couldn’t be any more wrong. I have no interest in Beatrice’s money or whatever ‘connections’ you may have. I’m just interested in Beatrice because – well – she’s awesome!”

“Oh, sure you are.” Delphine sneered. “As if you haven’t been mooching off of her since the unfortunate day that you two met. We’ve been tolerant with you clinging on to Beatrice up until now, but enough is enough!”

“Mom –” Beatrice tried to interject again.

“Do you really think that _you_ are good enough to be with her?” Delphine shot at Ava. “What do you even have to offer her? Beatrice, please tell me this is some kind of rebellious phase that you’re going to get over soon. We didn’t raise you to have such low standards!”

Ava’s skin felt white hot as anger boiled inside her. How dare Delphine throw such accusations at them. 

Beatrice slammed her hands down onto the table and stood up, so suddenly that her chair fell back behind her. Other patrons seated near their group turned to stare curiously at the commotion, and it was a rare moment where Ava really wished she wasn’t at the center of attention.

“That’s enough!” Beatrice said loudly, emotions a little out of control. “This,” Beatrice gestured between herself and Ava. “Is happening, whether you like it or not. I know that my sexuality has always been a problem for you, but here I was foolishly thinking that you two could pull your heads out of your own asses and realize that I am _happy_. Being with _Ava_ makes me happy. If you can’t accept that, then I’m going to ask that you just keep your nose out of it, because there’s nothing you can do about it!”

Ava stared at Beatrice in awe. _Beatrice is a badass_ , Ava thought. _Go off, Bea! ___

____

Beatrice gave her parents one last hard look, before pushing away from the table and heading towards the restaurant bathroom.

__

Ava twiddled her thumbs as, across the table, Delphine cried silently, and Jon looked like he had just drunk expired milk.

__

“Right,” Ava said, to no one in particular. She pushed her chair back and stood up, gesturing with her thumb over her shoulder. “I’m just – just gonna go check on her. Yup, okay.” And she fled the table after her girlfriend. 

__

-

__

Ava found Beatrice standing by the sinks in the bathroom, gripping the porcelain so tightly that her knuckles were ghost white. She was breathing deeply as she tried to regain her composure, and Ava’s heart ached for her. 

__

Ava walked up behind Beatrice and wrapped her arms tightly around her middle, pressing her face into Beatrice’s shoulder. Beatrice rested a hand on top of Ava’s, and Ava could feel her girlfriend shaking slightly in her embrace.

__

“Are you okay?” Ava asked softly as she pressed a gentle kiss to Beatrice’s shoulder.

__

Beatrice swiped at the tears that managed to spill down her cheeks. “I can’t believe them.” She said, her voice choked up. “I can’t believe they would say those things to you. I’m _so sorry_ , Ava.”

__

“Hey,” Ava met Beatrice’s eyes in the mirror. “Don’t worry about me. I can take whatever hits Delphine chooses to throw at me. I just worry about you, you know? That was pretty messed up.”

__

Beatrice let out a strangled chuckle. “That’s my parents for you.”

__

“And, look, if Lilith is really more your type, I guess I could step aside. You guys would be such a power couple, even more so than Shannary. The two of you together would be almost alarming, let me tell you. What, with your wit and Lilith’s overall disapproval of the world? _Terrifying_.”

__

That got a real laugh out of Beatrice. She turned around so that she was facing Ava, and Ava reached out to wipe away a stray tear, her fingers gently caressing Beatrice’s cheek. 

__

“For what it’s worth,” Ava whispered, ghosting her lips across Beatrice’s. “Seeing you stand up to your parents like that? Got to admit I’m a little aroused.”

__

“Oh yeah?” Beatrice managed to get out after Ava pulled her into a searing kiss. “Family drama is what does it for you?”

__

“Mmhmm,” Ava mumbled as she pressed warm kisses along Beatrice’s jaw. “You getting all riled up? Now _that_ was hot.”

__

Beatrice smiled into their next kiss.

__

Ava could have stayed that way forever, pressed against Beatrice in the (admittedly lovely) bathroom of _Mama Maria’s_ , but they unfortunately had to hastily break apart when an elderly woman entered the bathroom. Beatrice cleared her throat uncomfortably while the elderly woman glanced their way, but then she went into a stall without saying anything.

__

Ava stifled a laugh against Beatrice’s neck and placed one last kiss on Beatrice’s cheek.

__

“Come on,” Ava said. “Let’s get the rest of this dinner over with and get out of here.”

__

Beatrice sighed and rubbed at her forehead. “Okay, but can you do me a favor and make sure I don’t drink anymore wine? I feel foggy enough already and I really don’t want to be too tired when we get home.” She shot Ava a knowing look.

__

Ava felt her cheeks heat up and she narrowed her eyes playfully. “If you even so much as _look_ at that wine glass again –” Beatrice laughed and slipped her fingers into Ava’s, and together they made their way out of the bathroom.

__

-

__

The drive back to Cat’s Cradle felt like it took an eternity as their group was shrouded in a tense silence. Beatrice had barely said a word once the couple returned from the bathroom and Ava desperately wished she could reach over and smooth out the worry lines that creased her forehead. She wanted to make this better for Beatrice, but really didn’t know how. Ava let out a sigh of relief when they finally pulled up to the curb outside their house. Beatrice got out of the car immediately, not even pausing to say goodbye to her parents. Ava, however, remained seated as she made eye-contact with Jon in the rear-view mirror.

__

“Ava?” Beatrice asked.

__

Ava didn’t break eye contact. “You go on inside, Bea. I’ll be right with you.”

__

Ava could feel her hesitation, but then the car door closed, and Ava was left alone with her parents.

__

“I never had a home, you know.” Ava began, speaking softly. “I never knew my dad, and my mom, she died when I was only seven. I didn’t have any other family, so I was given to the state and grew up in an orphanage. My caretakers, they were abusive, to say the least. They didn’t care about me, not even a little bit. I had no friends; I had no freedom. I had no home.”

__

The silence between them was heavy, but Ava forced herself to continue.

__

“When I met Beatrice, everything changed. She brought so much _light_ into my life. She has given me so much to hope for. She is so kind; so incredibly good. And she is _beautiful_. I never thought I would meet anyone who makes me feel the way she does. But then I met Beatrice, and now I know that I can be worth something, too.” Ava let out a short breath. “I know that this isn’t what you want for her. I know that I’m nowhere near good enough for her, you don’t need to tell me that. But I am head over heels in love with your daughter. She is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me and I’m not going anywhere for as long as she still wants me around, that I can promise you.”

__

Ava placed her hand on the car door handle, preparing to steal herself out into the night.

__

“Whatever your thoughts of Beatrice and I’s relationship, you should know that she was really looking forward to telling you both about it tonight. You matter to her, and your opinions of her matter to her. I hope you can find a way to look past this and accept her for who she is, because who she is – is _wonderful_ – and she really wants you both to be in her life.”

__

And with that, Ava got out of the car. 

__

She was halfway to the door of Cat’s Cradle when she heard the window of the car roll down and Jon called out to her. “Ava!”

__

Ava turned and looked back. Delphine was still staring straight ahead, not glancing in Ava’s direction, but Jon was leaned over his wife as he peered out the window to where Ava stood. 

__

“You take care of my daughter, you got that?” He said, and Ava just nodded. The  
window rolled back up and Ava watched as Jon and Delphine drove off into the night.

__

When Ava walked through the front door, she was met by the rest of the Sister Warriors, who had clearly been spying on her through the front room window.

__

“Holy shit, you’re alive.” Mary said in awe. 

__

“I thought you were a goner for sure.” Lilith said, shaking her head sadly. “I was just starting to draft out your obituary. ‘On this Thursday, March 7th of 2019, Ava Silva, loving girlfriend and major dumbass, was murdered in cold blood at the ripe young age of 21’” Lilith broke off when Camila smacked her lightly on the arm.

__

“What did you say to them?” Beatrice asked Ava anxiously after shooting Lilith a disapproving glance.

__

Ava rubbed the back of her neck. “I just told them how great you are and how lucky they are to have you as their daughter.” She smiled sheepishly. “And I may have mentioned to them how madly in love we are and that they’ll be hard pressed to get rid of me.”

__

Beatrice beamed as she slipped her hand into Ava’s. “You really said all that?” Ava nodded, biting at her lower lip.

__

“Okay, gross. No one needs to see your weird foreplay.” Mary said with a grimace, but she was fighting back a smile.

__

Ava rolled her eyes, but she never looked away from Beatrice. “Is my weird foreplay working, Bea?”

__

“Mmhmm, yeah, definitely.” Beatrice said, almost breathlessly. “We should go to bed, like now, okay?”

__

Mary groaned loudly.

__

Camila shot the couple a small smirk. “I’m just going to remind you two, _again_ , that my bedroom is right across from Bea’s, and the walls in this house aren’t exactly thick.”

__

Lilith snorted. “In other words, try to keep it down in there.” 

__

Ava laughed as Beatrice pulled her towards Bea’s bedroom. “We make no promises!” 

__

Beatrice had Ava pinned to her bedroom door the second she closed it behind them, and kissed Ava so deeply that Ava temporarily forgot her own name. “I love you so much, you know that, right?” Beatrice whispered as she pressed lingering kisses along Ava’s neck. 

__

“Uh huh, yeah, ditto.” Ava managed to get out before she brought Beatrice’s lips back to hers. “Do you think we can skip the rest of the foreplay tonight? Because I really just want to rip your clothes off right now.”

__

Beatrice laughed; her breath warm against Ava’s skin. “I think that can be arranged.” 

__

Ava had never undressed faster. 

__

-

__

A week later, Beatrice’s mom surprisingly called to apologize for how she had reacted and invited Beatrice and Ava to spend a few days of their upcoming spring break with herself and Jon at their house in the Hamptons. Though Delphine still wasn’t thrilled by Beatrice’s choice in partner, she did admit that she admired Ava’s strength and loyalty towards Beatrice and commented that she was looking forward to getting to know Ava as Beatrice’s girlfriend. Beatrice started crying in relief the second she hung up the phone, and Ava held her tightly for the rest of the night.

__

***

__

___Present Day_

“Let’s play a game.” Beatrice suddenly said, pulling Ava out of her daydream. Ava was laying on her back now with her head in Beatrice’s lap as Beatrice’s fingers skated soothingly through her hair. There was a lot of noise around the quad as students milled about, but they were lost in their own little world as they sat together in the grass.

“What do you have in mind?” Ava asked curiously.

“High, Low, Buffalo.” Beatrice decided. “Over the last four years of college, tell me about one of your best memories, one of your worst memories, and one of your strangest memories.” Bea listed off.

Ava smiled. It was a game they would play often when they would be lying in bed together on days when they had barely gotten to see each other. 

“Okay, I’m down.” Ava said, already thinking of her responses to each scenario. “Let’s start with highs. Would you like to go first?”

Beatrice grinned down at her. “My high of college? Oh, that’s an easy one.” Her face took on a far-off look, and Ava knew what she was going to say before she said it. “It’s that time we went to Paris…”

***

_One Year and Five Months Ago_

France at Christmas was indeed beautiful, just as Beatrice had said it would be.

There was a certain ambiance Paris provided that Ava absolutely loved. Even with winter in full force, Ava found herself longing to run the streets and explore everything she could the second they got off the train from the airport to the city center. But Beatrice, ever the responsible one, managed to keep Ava in tow until they had at least checked into their Airbnb.

Beatrice was a planner; Ava knew this. She had spreadsheets and itineraries and maps of the city downloaded and ready to go so that they could make the most of their one week in Paris. The second the couple dropped their bags off in the cute sixth story loft they’d be staying at for the week, they hit the ground running. 

Their Airbnb was in Montmartre, so they started their explorations there, wandering the streets and stopping at every art shop they could find while Beatrice practiced her French and Ava tried not to trip over her own shoelaces.

Ava remembered back when Beatrice had first suggested they go to Paris during break and Ava had pictured holding hands with Beatrice as they strolled around the city. She took great joy now in making those thoughts a reality as she entwined their fingers as frequently as she could (and Beatrice shot her shy smiles every time).

They made their way to the Scare Coeur church and climbed up the 300 steps to get to the top where they had a 360-degree view of Paris stretched out before them. Beatrice claimed that this view was better (and cheaper) than the view from the Eiffel Tower, and Ava had to admit she may have been on to something. The view _was_ amazing, but Ava was having a hard time really appreciating it when she had Beatrice next to her (because _that_ view was really as good as it gets).

If Ava had thought being Beatrice’s best friend was cool, it was absolutely nothing compared to being Beatrice’s girlfriend. They had only been dating for two months now (two of the greatest months of Ava’s life thus far), and Ava knew that this was the one thing she really couldn’t fuck up. 

After they finished making out at the top of the church, they made their way down to the city center, crossing over the Pont Alexandre III bridge. They took forever to actually get from one side of the bridge to the other though, as Ava had made it a game to see how many times she could get Beatrice to kiss her before they reached the other side (it was sixteen times, in case you were wondering, but Ava was sure she could’ve gotten more if Beatrice wasn’t hurrying them to get to their scheduled boat tour along the Seine). 

It was cold on the boat, but they sky was beautiful as the sun was setting while they cruised through the river. Ava started off by pointing out everything she could see to Beatrice, until a lady sitting behind them kept ‘accidentally’ hitting Ava’s back with her selfie stick. Ava was ready to go off on her, but Beatrice just pulled Ava into a tight hug against her body and Ava was happy to stay like that through the rest of the tour (she found she enjoyed the sights much better with her head on Beatrice’s shoulder anyway). Post river tour, they got dinner at a niche restaurant close to the Seine and indulged in French cuisine and cheap wine, before catching a bus back towards their Airbnb for some much-needed sleep.

Beatrice wasn’t much into PDA, Ava knew. Sure, she had no problem being touchy with Ava; holding hands, arms around waists, long hugs in the middle of the street. But anything beyond a surface level of affection and Beatrice would immediately pull back, still reserved about being so open about her sexuality in public spaces. But something about being in the city of love was having an effect on Beatrice because ever since they got off the airplane it was like Beatrice couldn’t keep her hands off of Ava.

It began that very next morning, where Beatrice decided uncharacteristically that they could forgo her itinerary and catch a later walking tour than originally planned so that they could have sex instead (which Ava really didn’t mind one bit). And an hour later when they were on a train to the Place Saint-Michel for more sightseeing, Beatrice’s hands were roaming in places that left Ava flushed and breathless and feeling way too warm for the cold December air. Ava loved this side of Beatrice; so comfortable in her own skin and happy to be alive. Ava just loved Beatrice, period. 

Ava decided right then and there that she was going to make sure Beatrice knew just how _much_ Ava loved her.

The first place they had sex was in a deserted bathroom in the Luxembourg Garden. It didn’t take much convincing on Ava’s part as Beatrice was already so tightly wound up after Ava’s incessant flirting and foreplay during their walking tour that she was just as eager as Ava to relieve some of the built-up tension between them. It was quick and dirty, but they both left that bathroom with wide smiles and red cheeks and maybe a few extra bruises on their skin that definitely hadn’t been there earlier.

The second place was in a dark alley near the Abbey of Saint Germain des Prés. Ava was absolutely shocked when Beatrice didn’t push her away when things got a little too heated, but instead drew her in closer, pressing Ava against the wall while Ava mouthed the Lord’s name in vain against Beatrice’s skin. It was thrilling, to say the least, and Beatrice absolutely glowed when they returned to the street, hand-in-hand and more in love than ever.

The next day they added a brief escapade in a (conveniently) unlocked utility closet in the Palais Garnier Opera House to their scorecard, and Ava found that sightseeing was a lot more fun when she had Beatrice there to fill all of the spaces around her. 

Beatrice caught on to Ava’s little scheme on their fourth day in Paris when they were visiting the Louvre. Ava had known how excited Beatrice was to explore the museum, so she behaved herself for the first hour or so. She followed Beatrice from room to room, taking in the artwork and listening to Beatrice’s constant string of commentary as she marveled at all of the masterpieces they were surrounded with. It was cute, how much Beatrice’s eyes lit up when she found a piece she really liked (though Ava thought that Beatrice was a far better work of art than anything the Louvre had to offer). 

“What are you doing?” Beatrice suddenly asked Ava, her voice laced with suspicion. 

They were in the section of the museum that was dedicated to Greek and Roman antiquities. Beatrice was currently enthralled in an interesting depiction of Aphrodite, while Ava was more enthralled with Beatrice. She was standing behind Beatrice with her arms wrapped around her girlfriend’s waist and her chin on Beatrice’s shoulder. Ava had been carefully placing warm kisses along Beatrice’s neck and jaw and had just started to nibble on her earlobe when Beatrice seemed to clue in to Ava’s game.

“Nothing,” Ava whispered innocently. “I’m just enjoying the art.”

“Oh really? Because you’ve barely looked at anything since the _Galerie d’Apollon._ ”

“Well, I’ve seen what I needed to see.” Ava returned to what she had been doing – familiarizing her mouth with the back of Beatrice’s neck – but Beatrice spun around in her embrace, so that Ava was forced to meet her gaze.

“If you don’t stop…” Beatrice breathed out, voice low and a little unsteady.

“Then what?” Ava tried to stop herself from smirking, she really did.

Beatrice narrowed her eyes. “Ava Silva, you’ve been totally planning this, haven’t you?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“All the subtle touches and seductiveness and getting me worked up in really inconvenient places –”

“Hey, that utility closet yesterday was _not_ inconvenient.” Ava pointed out.

“What’s your end goal here? Trying to see how many sacred places you can get me to break all of my morals for you?” Beatrice’s voice was stern, but her eyes were twinkling, and Ava could tell she was trying not to smile.

Ava waggled her eyebrows. “I was thinking once we do it in the Louvre, we can head on over to Notre Dame; scope the place out, see what kind of secret alcoves we can find. I’m sure that old place could use a little extra love.”

“I can’t believe you.” Beatrice was laughing quietly now. “And here I thought we were just being spontaneous.”

“The time at the garden was spontaneous.” Ava soothed. “But what can I say? You bring out the worst in me.”

“I don’t think that’s true, not even a little bit.” Beatrice closed the small space between them, slotting her lips against Ava’s for a brief moment, before pulling back. “Being here with you has been far better than I could’ve ever imagined so far, even if you’ve been secretly scheming behind my back.”

Ava tilted her head as she gave Beatrice a fond smile. “I just wanted to make sure this trip is one you’ll always remember. I wanted to show you how loved you are and how much more extraordinary I find you than anything else we might see in this city. Paris is beautiful and all, but it doesn’t hold a candle to you, Bea.”

Beatrice’s cheeks tinged red and she looked away, shaking her head slightly and biting at her lip. When she met Ava’s eyes again, Ava saw that her pupils were blown, and she was staring at Ava with nothing short of desire.

“Want to see if we can find a private bathroom?” She whispered close to Ava’s ear.

“Oh my God, _yes_!” Ava cheered, and she couldn’t help laughing as Beatrice grabbed her by the hand and dragged her down the hall. 

While Notre Dame didn’t end up happening, they did manage to make love at Parc du Champ de Mars, the Grand Palais, the Musée D’Orsay, and two pubs they briefly passed through. Ava was shooting for another escapade at the Church de Saint-Chapelle, but when they entered the room full of floor to ceiling stained glass windows and the weak December sunlight streamed into the church, basking everything in a hue of colors, Ava found that sex was suddenly the last thing on her mind. It was mesmerizing and Ava couldn’t look away. Beatrice’s hand found hers as they stood transfixed at the church entrance. Beatrice rested her head on Ava’s shoulder, and together they let the Church’s magic overcome them. And in that church, Ava decided that as much as she loved her physical relationship with Beatrice, it was the quiet moments like this one that she loved the most.

(Later, when anyone asked her what her favorite part of Paris was, Ava always recounted the time they spent in Saint-Chappelle, because there was really nothing else like it). 

***

 _Present Day_

“I _knew_ you were going to pick Paris.” Ava said with a chuckle. “That was definitely a top 5 memory. I probably would’ve picked the same as my high, but I don’t want to be unoriginal.”

“No, we definitely can’t have that.” Beatrice agreed.

Ava went quiet for a moment, deep in thought as she reflected on four of the best years of her life. How could she ever pick a favorite? There was that week last summer where Ava and Beatrice drove up to Maine to hike and camp around Acadia (it had rained the majority of the time but they didn’t let a little bad weather _dampen_ their mood), or that time their junior year when they had _finally_ shared their first kiss (it’s a long story of how that came about, around 20k words to be exact). There was the ‘Great Prank War’ of freshman year Mary and Ava had gotten into with Camila and Lilith that Ava was totally convinced she had won in the end (even though she still had a scar on her knee from one of Lilith’s pranks that had gotten a little out of hand), and there was that day just a few months ago where Beatrice had asked Ava to move in with her after graduation (which had really been one of the easiest decisions Ava has ever had to make).

Ava felt a sudden warmth course through her from her head to the tips of her toes. She had _so many_ great memories to choose from. Who would have thought that the girl with no parents and an abusive upbringing would end up having the most amazing friends and the most amazing girlfriend she could ever ask for? 

As she reflected on her good fortune, another memory popped into her brain, and Ava smiled when she realized that it could very well be the high she was searching for. It was a softer, quieter moment, but one that Ava had always (and will always) treasure.

“Do you remember that night we went to Space?”

***

_Two years and Eight Months Ago_

“Are you free tonight?” Beatrice asked Ava one morning in the first week of September of their sophomore year. They were just finishing breakfast at the dining hall on campus before they had to rush off to their first classes of the day. There was a glint in Beatrice’s eyes as she asked.

“I can be, did you have something in mind? I was going to spend my evening alone with my Public Policies textbook, but you sound like much better company.” Ava said.

“I do, but it’s a surprise. Can you meet me outside your dorm around 6 tonight?”

Ava gave her a curious look as they began to gather their things to leave the dining hall. “Well, color me intrigued. Can I at least get a hint of whatever it is you’re planning?”

“No, I don’t think so.” They left the dining hall and started walking together side-by-side. “Just be ready to go at 6. Oh, and make sure to dress warm.”

“Dress warm? Bea, it’s been like 90 degrees out all week.”

“Just bring some layers, okay? That’s all you’re getting from me for now.” Beatrice said, and with that she gave Ava a quick hug before rushing off to her morning lecture. “See you at 6!” She called over her shoulder. Ava stuffed her hands in her pockets and made her way to her own class, already knowing she would be spending the entire day puzzling over what Beatrice could possibly have planned for them.

-

As 6pm approached, Ava found she couldn’t sit still. She took to pacing her dorm room while attempting to read an article she had been assigned to analyze for her Methods of Media Criticism course, but found she couldn’t get beyond the first few sentences before her brain was too distracted. She was simultaneously excited and nervous for whatever it was Beatrice was surprising her with.

“Can you chill out for a sec?” Mary snapped suddenly from where she was trying to work at her desk. “I can practically hear you overthinking from all the way over here. What’s your problem?”

“Sorry,” Ava said, and took a seat on the edge of her bed. “It’s just that Beatrice made plans for us tonight but won’t tell me what we’re doing. The anticipation is killing me.”

“Okay, but can you let it kill you in silence? I need to finish this paper; it’s due at midnight.”

Ava’s phone buzzed from where it sat on the bed beside her. Ava snatched it up, excited to see the new text from Beatrice flash across her screen.

**Bea! [5:54 pm]:** I’m waiting in the parking lot, ready to go when you are!

Ava jumped back to her feet eagerly once she read Beatrice’s text. “Okay, I’m leaving now so you can work in peace and can no longer blame me for not finishing your essay on Rule of Law, or whatever it is. But just so you know, you would probably make more progress if you turned the AC on.”

Mary gave her a confused look. “What, why?”

“Oh, because, you know, _justice_ is best served cold. Or else, it’s _just water_.”

“…Get out.”

“Yup.”

“Have fun on your date!” Ava could just hear Mary shout before the dorm room door closed behind her.

Ava found Beatrice right where she said she would be, in the parking lot leaning against Lilith’s familiar black BMW (Ava was impressed Lilith had agreed to let Bea borrow her car for the night. She had shot Ava down every time she asked if she could drive it, though the fact that Ava didn’t have a license might have something to do with that). Beatrice greeted her with a hug, and they quickly got into the car.

Ava smiled as she slid into the front side passenger seat, admiring the upholstery as Beatrice started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. 

“You know,” Ava said as they left campus and headed west. “As jealous I am that Lilith gets to have a car like _this_ , it really makes that old saying about BMW’s and porcupines make sense.”

Beatrice glanced over towards Ava briefly before returning her eyes to the road. “What saying is that?”

Ava grinned, lifting her eyebrows at Beatrice. “They say the biggest difference between the two is that porcupines carry their pricks on the outside.”

Beatrice just shook her head sadly. “I don’t even know why I bothered asking, really. I _knew_ you were going to say something ridiculous and yet I just couldn’t help myself.” 

Ava laughed. “Oh, come on. That one was pretty good. And completely fitting for Lilith’s character!”

“You better not let Lilith hear you say that, or she’ll stop driving you places. What’ll you do then?”

“That would be rather tragic, wouldn’t it?” Ava suddenly slapped a hand to her forehead. “Speaking of tragic, Bea, I just remembered something! Did you hear about the car crash the other day off campus? Apparently, the driver lost his left arm _and_ his left leg.”

Beatrice’s eyes widened, and the speed they were driving suddenly decreased dramatically. “What? I didn’t hear about that. And he’s alive? Was anyone else hurt?”

Ava fought to keep a face straight. “It was a miracle; no one else was hurt. And the driver, well, he’s _all right_ now.”

There was a beat of silence. 

“You’re unbelievable.” Beatrice finally said with a resounding sigh. 

Ava had to look away when she smiled.

The drove into the hills, winding heir way higher and higher. The radio played softly in the background and Beatrice had to chide Ava every few minutes for asking where they were going. Finally, about an hour later, Beatrice pulled off onto a small dirt road and drove into the trees, coming to a halt outside a tall satellite tower. 

Ava glanced uncertainly at Beatrice. “Did you take me all the way out here to the middle of nowhere to murder me? Because this would be a very convenient location to hide my body.”

Beatrice rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Now come on, you’re going to love this.”

-

If Ava hadn’t been sure already, this definitely proved it. Beatrice was a badass.

They climbed the fence surrounding the satellite tower and made their way around to the back. A high, slick wall was on the other side, and Ava could just see the beginnings of the winding stairs of the tower at the top of the wall. 

“Wait here.” Beatrice instructed. And even though Ava watched her scale the wall, she still wasn’t sure how she managed to do it. One second Beatrice was on the ground next to Ava, and the next she was climbing catlike up the wall with minimum hand and foot holds until she managed to haul herself over the top. Ava saw her peer down from where she was perched, and then she was dropping a thick rope over the side down to Ava. The rope was old and pretty frayed, a good indication that it had been sitting up there for a long while, but it felt strong when Ava tugged on it. She took a deep breath, then began to climb.

Beatrice helped pull Ava up when she was close enough to the top, and Ava was grateful to feel solid ground under her feet again. Then, Beatrice led the way up the narrow white staircase that zig zagged back and forth all the way to the top of the tower. Ava had never really had a fear of heights, but she kept a tight grip on the railings and refused to look down anyway. The stairs got steeper and steeper the higher they got, until they came to an abrupt end and Beatrice was leading the way out onto a large, rickety, grated platform. There were satellites positioned on all four corners of the top platform, and Beatrice made her way over to the farthest one, calling to Ava to watch where she stepped. When Ava looked down, she noticed multiple holes in the grate, realizing how easy it would be to fall through to the level below.

Ava and Beatrice leaned against the railing at the top of the tower and looked out to the world below them. The view was beautiful, trees as far as the eye could see and the setting sun cast a soft hue over the scenery. 

“Welcome to Space,” Beatrice said softly from beside Ava. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful.” Ava said simply, unable to find any other words to describe the sight before her. “Absolutely beautiful.”

“Worth the surprise?”

“Definitely.” They stood in silence for a few minutes as they lost themselves in the view. The temperature had dropped now that the sun was setting, and Ava was grateful that Beatrice had told her to dress warm for the occasion.

“Why do you call it Space?” Ava asked curiously.

Beatrice pointed to one of the satellites behind them. The word SPACE was graffitied on the dish in red spray paint, along with a rough drawing of Saturn below it. “Seems fitting don’t you think? Camila and I found this place last year. We must’ve spent hours sitting up here and talking. I thought you might like to see it.”

“It’s pretty amazing.” Ava agreed. “Really out of this world.”

“I figured if I could _planet_ right, we could get here just as the sun was setting.”

“I’ll say. We got here at the perfect time. I’m impressed; this was truly an _interstellar_ performance on your part.” Ava winced slightly as she said it.

Beatrice squinted. “Really had to stretch for that one, huh?”

Ava tilted her head and looked up at Beatrice. “Oh, _comet_ on. It wasn’t that bad.” 

Beatrice met her gaze steadily. “Please just _shuttle_ up already and enjoy the view.”

And Ava did just that.

They stayed up at Space well into the night, talking and laughing and joking and reveling in each other’s company. It was only when Ava started falling asleep with her head on Beatrice’s shoulder that they decided to make their way back down to Earth once more.

***

 _Present Day_

“Ugh, I forgot just how bad some of your puns can be.” Beatrice grimaced as Ava reached the end of her story.

“Hey, my puns are great, and you know it.”

“If you say so.” Beatrice brushed the hair back from Ava’s forehead. “I didn’t realize that night had meant so much to you.”

“How could it not? Everything about that night was perfect.” Ava smiled fondly at Beatrice. “It was pretty much a first date if you think about it.” 

Beatrice narrowed her eyes playfully. “Well, sure, but if I’m remembering correctly, didn’t you start dating JC, like, two weeks after that? It must not have been a very good first date considering you ran off into the arms of the next boy who smiled at you.”

Ava chuckled. “Say what you like about JC, but he was an important plot point that provided me with some much-needed character development, okay?”

Beatrice just shook her head in amusement while she glanced at her watch. “Oh, Ava, it’s getting late. We need to get back to Cat’s Cradle, we’re supposed to help cook dinner.”

“Aww, but we only got through our highs.”

Beatrice pressed a quick kiss to Ava’s forehead. “We can share our lows while we walk home.” She made Ava get up and help her fold up her blanket.

“Maybe we should skip the lows. They might ruin the mood.” Ava suggested as she swung her backpack onto her shoulders.

“No way, lows are therapeutic.” Beatrice took Ava’s hand again and they started the walk back to Cat’s Cradle. “Do you know what yours is? You can go first this time.”

“Oh, yeah, I know my low.” Beatrice looked at Ava expectantly. “Do you remember that absolute _tool_ Crimson?” 

***

 _One Year Ago_

There were many things Ava loved about Beatrice. 

She loved how Beatrice would surprise Ava with coffee or snacks or little love notes when she knew Ava was having a bad day. She loved how Beatrice was able to match Ava’s sense of humor perfectly and always seemed to know how to touch Ava just right on any given occasion. She loved how Beatrice would let Ava keep the subtitles on when they watched TV even though Beatrice claimed she didn’t like them (which is just blasphemous; everyone knows subtitles enhance the TV watching experience and Ava would die by that statement). She loved how Beatrice was simultaneously her biggest cheerleader and her moral compass and always seemed to keep Ava in check.

There were many things Ava loved about Beatrice.

And it was a two-way street between them. Beatrice loved Ava just as fiercely and just as passionately. Beatrice loved the way Ava could be so brash and reckless, but then be so incredibly soft with Beatrice just moments later. Beatrice loved the way Ava would could draw her out of her comfort zone and get Beatrice to be a little less put together than she usually was. Beatrice loved the way Ava would leave her long voicemails where she would describe in excruciating detail the dog she had just seen on campus. Beatrice loved the way Ava made her feel so worthy of being loved.

There were many things Beatrice loved about Ava.

But even so, there were still times where Ava and Beatrice fell, just a little bit, out of sync. 

-

Ava slammed her shot glass down on the bar, coughing slightly as the sharp tang of tequila burned her throat. Beside her, Mary did the same, though she was much more nonchalant about it. It was a Friday afternoon and Ava had decided to skip her only class of the day to get a head start on the evening, and she had dragged Mary along to ArqTech with her.

Mary cleared her throat as they signaled to S – _No, Sylvia,_ Ava chided herself, old habits dying hard – for two more shots.

“So, do you care to tell me why we’re drinking at 3 pm?” Mary probed while giving Ava’s shoulder a gentle nudge. “You’ve been awfully quiet since we got here. What’s up?”

Ava let out a long sigh, but she didn’t respond until they had taken their next shot. Mary waited patiently while Ava tried to get her thoughts in order.

“You know I love Beatrice, right? Like I really _love_ her.”

“Yes, I am well aware. Your bedroom is right next to mine. I’ve heard _many times_ just how much you love her.”

“Right, well the point is, I love her. But at the same time, she can really grind my gears, you know what I mean?”

“Sure?”

“Like today, for instance. We were in line at Holy Grounds getting coffee like we always do on Fridays and we were talking about our cross-country road trip that we’re planning this summer, you know the one?” Mary nodded. “Well we were talking about some of the logistics and I _know_ Beatrice is a planner and all, but she wasn’t even listening to any of my suggestions! Like, she wasn’t even pretending to _at least_ acknowledge the things that I want to do on this trip. I mean, is it really so crazy if I want to see the ‘World’s Largest Toilet’ in Columbus, or check out the ‘Vent Haven Museum’ in Kentucky? I spent most of my life stuck in an orphanage; there are so many things I want to see out there and she just didn’t care at all!”

Mary side-eyed Ava. “So, basically we’re drinking at 3 pm because you and Beatrice got into a fight about your upcoming vacation?”

“Yes, exactly!” 

“All right, I can roll with that.” They ordered two more shots. “When Beatrice gets here later tonight, are you going to make up and play nice or you going to pout the whole night until she gives in and apologizes?” Mary asked.

“Most likely the latter.”

“Well, at least your honest. Cheers.” 

-

Three hours later and Ava was far from sober.

Mary wanted to drag her home before she was too far gone, but Shannon had just gotten to ArqTech along with a couple of her friends and all thoughts of leaving went out the window. Mary left Ava at the bar to go spend time with her girlfriend, but she made sure to keep an eye on her from afar. 

“ _Ssssssssylvia_ ,” Ava slurred while she leaned halfway over the bar. Sylvia prodded her gently to force her back into her seat. “Can I get another alcohol please?” 

“Sure thing,” Sylvia said, and she handed Ava a glass of water. Ava drank it, not even noticing that it wasn’t what she asked for.

“That’s good shit.” Ava decided. “I’ll have another round!”

Sylvia rolled her eyes but humored her.

“So, what’s got you all drunk and obnoxious this early in the evening?” Sylvia asked while Ava chased her straw with her mouth.

“Girl problems, what else?” Ava said, finally catching her straw between her teeth and throwing her hands up in victory.

Sylvia swiped a towel over the bar after Ava proceed to spit some water out with the straw. “Well, Beatrice is over in the corner there with your other friends, why don’t you just go talk to her and get things sorted out instead of scaring my customers away over here?”

Ava turned around in surprise, having not noticed Beatrice was at the bar already. Sure enough, her, Lilith, and Camila had all joined Mary, Shannon, and two of Shannon’s friends at their table. Beatrice didn’t even glance in Ava’s direction. 

Ava faced forward with a small frown.

Sylvia shot her a sympathetic look. “I’m sure whatever you two are fighting about, it’s not as bad you think. Give yourself some time to sober up, then go talk to her. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay, but can I have another drink while I wait?”

“That would really defeat the purpose, don’t you think?”

-

Beatrice joined Ava at the bar just a few minutes later.

“Hi,” Beatrice said as she slid into the stool beside Ava. “Why are you sitting over here by yourself?”

Ava fiddled with her glass of water and shrugged.

Beatrice let out a sigh. “What’s wrong?”

Ava huffed. “Like you care.”

“You’re not still upset about this morning, are you? Ava –” 

“So what if I am?” Ava snapped. 

Beatrice frowned as she really took Ava in. “How much have you had to drink?”

Ava shrugged again. “I dunno.”

Ava could tell that Beatrice was getting frustrated. “Okay, you know what, it doesn’t matter. How about I just walk you home?” 

“I don’t want to go home!” Ava all but yelled. 

Beatrice pursed her lips, trying not to lose her patience. “Well, what do you want then?” 

“I want you to actually care about my opinions for once!” A part of Ava knew she was being ridiculous, but that’s what happens when you drink too much and you’re already emotional. “Is that too much to ask for? That you actually care about me?”

“You know I do.” Beatrice said quietly. She slid off her bar stool. “But we are not going to have this conversation while you’re like this. Sit here on your own and be angry if you want; I’m going to go have fun with our friends. You should come join us once you cool off.” Ava scowled as she walked away.

Ava slumped in her bar stool as she watched her friends across the bar. The group was currently laughing at a story Camila had just told and Ava narrowed her eyes as she took in Shannon’s friend who was sitting a little _too_ close to Beatrice in the booth.

 _Crimson_. 

The first time Ava had met Crimson was at Shannon’s house a few weeks ago when she was hosting a game night. Ava and Beatrice had accompanied Mary to the event, and Crimson had been there, too. Ava was insistent that her dislike of Crimson stemmed from her lack of a sense of humor and overall uptight personality, but she knew it was also because of the way Crimson had spent most of the night looking at Beatrice. Ava had been unnerved, to say the least, at the attention her girlfriend was getting from another girl.

And now here she was. Sitting right next to Beatrice, all pressed up and cozy against her. Ava watched as Crimson engaged Beatrice in conversation, and was she crazy or was Crimson touching Beatrice’s arm a little too often to be considered friendly? 

Ava felt white anger course through her body as she continued to watch Crimson blatantly flirt with Beatrice. _Don’t you see what’s happening here, Bea?_

“Ava?” Camila had somehow materialized right next to Ava without her realizing, giving Ava a look of concern. “Are you all right?” 

“No!” Ava said angrily, and Camila’s eyes widened in alarm. “Do you see this?” Ava gestured towards Beatrice. “How could she do this to me?” 

“What are you talking about?” Camila asked gently, but suddenly Ava’s eyes filled with tears and she found she couldn’t speak. Because Beatrice and Crimson were staring into each other’s eyes. And they were smiling. And it was the same smile Beatrice had when she looked at Ava. It was _Ava’s_ smile. But it was being directed at Crimson.

And that was enough to make Ava storm out of the bar.

-

Ava stumbled down the sidewalk, trying to focus on putting one foot in front of the other. Her head swam and her eyes burned, and she really just wanted to be home where she could crawl into bed and forget the image of Beatrice and Crimson smiling at each other the way they had been.

Ava didn’t get very far before Mary caught up to her, throwing an arm around Ava’s waist to keep her upright. Shannon was there too, who appeared on Ava’s other side so that they were sandwiching Ava in between them while they guided her home.

“How you holding up, Baby H?” Mary asked her. Ava just sniffled in response. “Is this still about your fight with Beatrice this morning?” Mary prodded. Ava shook her head.

“We can’t help if you won’t talk to us.” Shannon said gently.

“Crimson.” Ava eventually hissed out.

Mary glanced at her. “What’s that?” 

“Crimson!” Ava said, louder this time.

Shannon and Mary looked at each other over the top of Ava’s head. “Do you – did she say something to you?” Shannon asked, trying to recall when Crimson and Ava had even interacted that night.

“She didn’t have to. But she sure had plenty to say to Beatrice! They were all over each other in there; I can’t believe you didn’t notice.”

“Oh, lord.” Mary sighed. “Ava, there was absolutely nothing going on between Beatrice and Crimson. Trust me on this, okay?”

“How do you know?” Ava snapped.

Mary rolled her eyes at Ava’s attitude, but Shannon rubbed at Ava’s back soothingly. “We know, because the entire time Beatrice was talking to Crimson, she was talking about _you_.” Shannon explained.

“It was annoying, really.” Mary added. “Instead of just talking to _you_ like she wanted to, Beatrice talked _about_ you for like an hour straight instead. And Crimson was just the only one who was willing to listen.”

“Really?” Ava said, voice suddenly very small.

“Really.” Shannon replied. 

They walked up the steps of Cat’s Cradle and Mary let them into the house. “Come on, Baby H.” Mary said as they led her to stairs. “Let’s get you on up to bed.” 

“No, not yet. I want to talk to Beatrice first.” Ava argued, though she made no effort to stop their progress up the stairs. 

“She’ll be here soon.” Mary promised. “I told her to give us a five-minute head start before she left the bar so that we could calm you down first.”

“She’ll really be here?”

Shannon fought back a laugh. “Yes Ava, she’ll really be here.”

They deposited Ava on her bed in her room and, after some last pats of affection and words of encouragement, they left her alone to wait for her girlfriend to get home.

Beatrice appeared in Ava’s room five-minutes later, just as Mary said she would. Ava had a whole speech planned in her head with what she wanted to say, but all of that went out the window the second she saw Beatrice. Instead, Ava just started crying, deep drunken sobs. Beatrice joined Ava on her bed and opened her arms, pulling Ava into her body. Ava clung to her as she cried, whispering apologies against her neck, and reveling in the feel of Beatrice surrounding her. Ava fell fast asleep once she had calmed down, and Beatrice held her for the rest of the night. 

To no one’s surprise, Ava was beyond hungover when she woke up the next morning. After spending a fair amount of time vomiting her brains out in the bathroom, she eventually found she could sit up straight without the world spinning around her. She wandered downstairs to where her roommates were all gathered in the living room while they scrolled through Netflix together.

“Well, would you look who’s up?” Mary said cheerfully as Ava stumbled into the room, looking worse for wear. “How you feeling, Baby Halo?”

“A little like I got hit by a truck.” Ava admitted sheepishly. She rubbed uncomfortably at the back of her neck. “I think it goes without saying, but I’m really sorry for whatever I did last night. I drank way too much and was a total ass.”

Lilith smirked. “Well, you certainly made things interesting for everyone.”

Camila gave her a warm smile. “That’s okay, Ava. We’ve all agreed Mary is partly at fault for letting you drink so much in the first place. She should’ve known better.”

Mary rolled her eyes. “You try controlling her when she gets like that.” She muttered under her breath.

Ava sought out Beatrice and felt warmth seep through her at the tender look Beatrice was giving her. She patted the spot on the couch next to her. “We were about to start an episode of _Black Mirror_ , want to watch with us?” Ava beamed as she took a seat next to her. 

Beatrice slipped her fingers into Ava’s and brought their joined hands up to her lips to press the gentlest of kisses to the back of Ava’s hand. Ava moved even closer to Beatrice so that she could rest her head on her shoulder, and they stayed like that through the duration of the episode.

Ava knew that they had things they needed to talk about and stuff to sort out, but for now, this was enough.

***

_Present Day_

“That was definitely not our best night.” Beatrice said with sigh. “It took you weeks before you would even be in the same room as Crimson. I hate that I made you feel that way.”

Ava smiled sheepishly. “What can I say? She really rubbed me the wrong way. And don’t worry about it; it was mostly all my fault anyway. I brought that on myself.”

“We’ve really come a long way with how we communicate, don’t you think?” Beatrice pointed out.

Ava nodded, as she fished her house keys out of her backpack, them having just arrived back to Cat’s Cradle. “Yeah, I mean, now that I don’t run away from my ~feelings~ anymore, things have definitely been a lot smoother between us.”

Beatrice chuckled as Ava swung the front door open and they walked into their home. Ava felt her heart sink a little as she saw all of the moving boxes they had packed and stacked in the front room. Just another reminder that their time in Cat’s Cradle was very quickly coming to an end.

“You aren’t the only one who’s had problems with expressing their feelings, you know.” Beatrice said. They walked into the kitchen together, where they found the rest of the Sister Warriors gathered around the kitchen table.

“ _There_ you two are!” Mary said in way of greeting. “You’re late! Your final finished hours ago, Baby H, did you get lost or something on your way home?” 

Ava stuck her tongue out at Mary.

“Sorry,” Beatrice apologized. “We got distracted and lost track of time.”

Lilith shot them a shit-eating grin. “Distracted doing what? Something uncouth I assume?”

“No,” Ava said indignantly. “Bea and I have never behaved inappropriately ever in our lives.” She really should’ve known a statement like that would be like opening a can of worms.

Mary and Lilith snorted in unison, and even Camila rose her eyebrows skeptically at them. 

“What about that time Ava streaked through campus because Beatrice dared her to?” Camila asked.

“Or the time Ava fell into the fountain outside our dorm building sophomore year?” Mary added.

“I didn’t _fall_ , Mary, you pushed me –”

“Don’t forget when Beatrice brought water balloons to campus to throw at Ava after class but ‘accidentally’ hit Zori instead.” Lilith reminded.

“In my defense, I was far away. And they look really similar from the back –”

“What about how the two of you literally screwed all over Paris? In _public_ , might I add.” Mary shot back with a winning smile.

Beatrice gaped at her, opening and closing her moth wordlessly while Ava glared daggers at Mary. 

Camila and Lilith looked from Ava and Beatrice to Mary with wide eyes.

“I cannot describe to you how excited I am to hear about this.” Lilith said.

“How – how did you know about that?” Beatrice finally asked Mary.

Mary fought back a laugh while Ava shook her head in warning, which Mary chose to ignore. “Seriously? Ava was texting me the whole time you were there. We made a bingo card with the places you could hit.” Mary held up her phone. “Do you want to see it?”

“Ooh I do!” Lilith cried excitedly, lunging for the phone.

Ava stood frozen as Beatrice looked from the phone to Ava, her face flushed red. “You made _what_?”

“You _traitor_.” Ava hissed at Mary. “Would it kill you to keep a secret just once?”

“Sex in the Louvre? How typical.” Lilith said as her and Camila had their heads bent over the bingo card.

Camila gasped as she pointed out a square. “In the _Opera House_? Scandalous! Nice job, you two.” 

Beatrice was still glaring at Ava. “I cannot believe you.” She snapped. 

Ava met her gaze guiltily. “This is not one of my finer moments, I’ll admit it. Sorry, I should’ve told you about that.”

Beatrice just sighed and shook her head. “Did we at least get bingo?” 

“Nope,” Lilith chuckled. “You were damn close though. I’m disappointed in you, Baby H. You would’ve been golden had you gotten it on in the Pantheon.”

“Shut up, Lilith.” Ava grumbled. 

“I’m pretty sure this all proves case in point that Ava and Beatrice have a history of indecent behavior.” Mary said.

Lilith perked up. “Oh, how could we forget about the time –” 

“Nope, stop. We get it!” Ava snapped, cutting off whatever Lilith had been on the verge of saying next. “Yes, we’ll admit it, there have been some questionable experiences in the past. However, we were not late today because we were getting into trouble _or_ acting indecently. We were just hanging out at the quad and playing High, Low, Buffalo. That’s all.”

“Isn’t that the game you play after you have sex?” Mary asked. “Really not helping your case here.”

“That’s just _weird_ you guys.” Lilith grimaced. 

“Oh my God, no!” Ava cried in exasperation. “Why are you trying to ruin our perfectly wholesome afternoon?”

Beatrice snorted as she wrapped her arms around Ava, tucking her chin into Ava’s shoulder. “Well, sometimes we do.” She admitted, throwing a wink in Mary’s direction. “Anyways, it’s my turn to share my low. So, now you all get to hear about one of my worst memories of college…Boxing day.”

***

_Three Months Ago_

It was rare for Beatrice to have bad days. But bad days happen to everyone. So, when Beatrice was snippy towards Ava, she let it go.

It was even rarer for Beatrice to have more than one bad day in a row. But again, it happens. So, when Beatrice projected at Ava, Ava let her. She knew Beatrice didn’t really mean it anyway.

On the fourth bad day, though, Ava knew she couldn’t just stand by and let Beatrice use her as a punching bag anymore. Something was definitely wrong, and Ava needed to step up and help Beatrice work through whatever it was that she was so upset about.

“We need to talk.” Ava said, barging into Beatrice’s bedroom at Cat’s Cradle after a string of unanswered texts sent from Ava to her girlfriend had remained unanswered for too long. Beatrice jumped slightly, startled from where she was laying forlornly in her bed.

“Not now, Ava. I’m really not in the mood.” Beatrice snapped as she sat up. 

“No, you don’t get to do that anymore.” Ava growled. “You’ve been short with me and have been pushing me away for days now and for the life of me I can’t figure out what it is I did wrong. I’ve been supportive, and I’ve been patient, but enough is enough. So, unless you’re being an ass just for the sake of it, we’re going to work this out!” Ava knew she was yelling now, but she didn’t care. 

“Not everything is about you, Ava!” Beatrice yelled back. She was pacing across her floor now, looking anywhere but at where Ava was standing. “Have you ever stopped to think, just for a second, that I have other things in my life that are more important than you?” Ava felt her heart drop. _Ouch_.

But Beatrice wasn’t done. “You just – you just don’t _get it_ sometimes, you know? And it is exhausting having to explain everything to you. I have bigger problems to worry about than whether or not your feelings get hurt because I can’t placate you all the time!”

Ava glared at Beatrice for a moment, fuming, before she spun on her heel and stalked out of the bedroom. She was only gone for a few moments, however, as she returned shortly after, holding two pairs of boxing gloves. She tossed one pair at Beatrice, who caught them in surprise.

“Outside, now!” Ava insisted. “If you aren’t going to just be straight up with me, then we’re going to box it out until you feel better!” 

Beatrice pushed passed Ava, already strapping the gloves on. “Let’s just get this over with.”

-

They circled around each other on the lawn in the backyard, scattering their backyard cats from where they had been peacefully lying in the weak sunlight, fists raised and eyes narrowed. Mary, Camila, and Lilith, having heard the commotion when they were yelling at each other in Beatrice’s room, were sitting on the deck to watch the show. It was freezing outside, what with it being February and all, but Ava ignored the sting of the air as she kept her eyes on Beatrice.

“Get her, Bea!” Mary called encouragingly. “Wipe that smirk off her face once and for all!”

“Give her the ol’ one-two!” Lilith cheered.

“But don’t forget you love each other!” Camila added.

Ava tuned them out to focus in on Beatrice as they got to boxing. While Beatrice had always been far better than Ava in the ring, she was holding up pretty well, blocking Beatrice’s punches and combinations.

“Are you ready to tell me what’s been bothering you?” Ava asked, breathing hard after blocking another hit with her forearm (which would definitely bruise; Beatrice really wasn’t holding anything back today).

Beatrice let out a strangled laugh. “You want to know what’s bothering me?” She punched at air as Ava just managed to duck in time. “How about the fact that we’re graduating in a few months and I still haven’t found a job after graduation? Do you have any idea how many applications I’ve filled out in the last few months? And still I’ve got nothing! My parents have been on me nonstop about it. Or, how about the absolute idiots in my capstone group? Oh yeah, it’s been a real joy trying to get them to take our project seriously, as if this isn’t what we’ve been working towards for the last four years! Oh, and how could I forget how Professor Frances is actively trying to make my life hell? It doesn’t seem to matter how hard I work in her Leadership and Diplomacy course; why make things easy when she can just tank my GPA instead?”

Beatrice continued on her rant, her punches getting harder and harder. But Ava let her, not even trying to strike back anymore. It was all making sense; Beatrice’s tension and mood over the last few days. This didn’t really have anything to do with Ava. Beatrice was stressed and worried about the future, and if what she needed was to take all of that out on someone, Ava assumed the least she could do was let herself be a sounding board for Bea.

Just as she was thinking that, Ava’s hands dropped slightly, and she wasn’t quick enough for Beatrice’s next punch that ended up colliding painfully with Ava’s jaw. 

Ava reeled back, briefly registering Mary yelling, “Now _that’s_ what I’m talking about!”, before pulling off her gloves to check her face.

“ _Shit_ , Beatrice!” Ava gasped out. Her lip was busted open and she could feel blood trickling down her chin. All of her teeth seemed to still be intact though, thankfully. 

Beatrice’s hands had dropped down to her sides and her shoulders hunched over as she stared in shock at Ava’s swelling lower lip. A series of emotions battled out over Beatrice’s face, and then, to Ava’s surprise, her eyes filled with tears.

“Ava –” Beatrice choked out. She reached a hand out, but Ava didn’t let her get closer. 

“Don’t,” Ava snapped. Camila ran down to the lawn with a cloth for Ava to press against her throbbing lip. Ava took it from her gratefully before rounding on Beatrice. “Do you feel better now? Get your anger out? _God, Bea_.”

Beatrice was openly crying now, tears streaming silently down her face as she watched Ava. Ava could just hear Mary and Lilith coughing awkwardly as they escaped back into the house, with Camila following close behind, before Ava and Beatrice could really get at it again.

“I understand how stressed you are at the moment, and I’m sorry that you feel like things just aren’t working out right now. But it’s not fair for you to keep taking that all out on me. I’ve been trying to help as best I can, but it’s really hard to understand you when you shut me out like you have been! If you would have just _talked_ to me, I could be there for you to help you through this, rather than be the person you decide to beat up at the end of the day.” Ava let out a small laugh. “And I mean that figuratively _and_ literally.”

Beatrice rubbed at her eyes, fixing her gaze at her feet. “I’m sorry.” She whispered, so softly Ava could barely hear it.

Ava let out a sigh. As frustrated as she was, seeing Beatrice this upset felt even worse. 

“It’s okay,” Ava stepped closer to Beatrice, placing a hand on her arm until Beatrice looked back up at her. “It just – it hurts when you push me away like that. I know I don’t always get it sometimes, but it’s really hard to when you don’t let me know what’s going on in that head of yours.”

Beatrice reached out and ghosted her finger across Ava’s busted lip. It stung, but this time Ava didn’t pull away. 

“I never meant to hurt you.” Beatrice said, voice shaky. “Figuratively or literally.”

“I know.” Ava gave her a soft smile. “And I know that sometimes we hurt the people we love most, because they’re the ones who will always come back when it’s over. Just maybe next time you can keep those fists of yours away from my face, yeah? It’s really all I’ve got going for me and I can’t have you ruining that.”

Beatrice shook her head and buried her face into Ava’s neck as Ava wrapped her arms around her. They stood like that for what felt like forever, breathing deeply until their heartbeats were in sync, before Beatrice pulled back to take Ava in again.

“I really don’t deserve you.” She said as she pressed a gentle kiss to Ava’s shoulder.

Ava grinned. “Oh, I’m aware. I am much too good for you.” She joked. “Honestly, I don’t know why I bother putting up with you.”

“Well,” Beatrice gestured at Ava’s busted lip. “Why don’t you just _cut_ to the chase and leave me, then?” She teased.

Ava raised an eyebrow. “Really? You’re gonna turn my injury into a pun? Oh, how you _wound_ me.”

Beatrice laughed, and she looked more relaxed than she had in days. “I just thought I’d beat you to the punch.”

Ava placed a hand over her chest dramatically. “Oof. Too soon, Bea. Too soon.” And then she pulled Beatrice back into her embrace, grateful that things seemed to be going back to normal again.

***

_Present Day_

“ _That_ was your worst memory?” Lilith asked Beatrice incredulously. “Are you kidding? Whenever I’m having a bad day, all I have to do is picture you decking Ava in the face and it cheers me right up.”

Ava scowled at her. “It was a lucky shot.”

“God, you two can be painful to watch sometimes.” Mary said about Ava and Beatrice with a dramatic sigh. “Cringeworthily painful.”

“I think they’re cute.” Camila said while nudging Mary. “Give them a break. You and Shannon can be just as bad together.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Shannon and I are the perfect couple.”

Lilith rose her eyebrows. “I don’t think ‘perfect’ is the right word, but you and Shannon are certainly something.”

Ava threw Lilith a roguish smile. “Speaking of _interesting_ couples, it’s my turn to share my Buffalo. And I know just the memory for this one.”

Lilith narrowed her eyes. “What are you implying?” She asked while Beatrice, on the same wavelength as Ava, said “Aww, that was going to be my Buffalo.”

Ava’s smile grew even wider. “That’s right, people. The strangest memory of my college years was hands down the _Camilil Affair_.”

***

_Nine Months Ago_

It was a widely known fact that Ava wasn’t exactly what one would call ‘observant’. She was pretty oblivious at the best of times, always seeming to somehow just miss the point. Ava was well aware of this, however, and had learned to embrace this aspect of herself.

So, when the secret relationship between Lilith and Camila finally came to light, it was to absolutely everyone’s surprise that Ava had somehow figured it out first.

-

The first time Ava suspected there was something weird going on between Camila and Lilith was at one in the morning on a Tuesday night in August of their senior year. Ava had woken up with a desperate need for a glass of water. She untangled herself from the tight hold Beatrice had her in and quietly slipped out of her bedroom and into the hallway.

Only thing was, Camila was in the hallway too, silently closing the door to Lilith’s bedroom. 

Ava must’ve jumped two feet in the air when she saw the other girl.

“ _Jesus_ , Camila.” Ava hissed as she tried to slow her heartrate. “You scared the shit out of me.” Camila looked like a deer in the headlights as she stared at Ava.

“What are you doing up?” Camila whispered.

“I was just going downstairs to get some water.” Ava explained. “What are you doing up? Actually, what are you doing _up here_?” 

It was dark, so Ava missed how much Camila’s face flushed.

“Why were you in Lilith’s room?” Ava pressed.

Camila opened and closed her mouth multiple times. “Socks!” She finally blurted out. Ava tilted her head in confusion. “I needed socks. Lilith! She said she had some. Socks, I mean.”

Ava glanced down suspiciously at Camila’s bare feet and empty hands. 

“They were all dirty!” Camila said quickly before Ava could ask. “Her socks. Turns out they were all dirty. So – so she didn’t give me any.” 

Ava raised an eyebrow. “So, let me get this straight. At one in the morning, you desperately needed socks. Lilith said she has socks, but when you got here, they were all dirty and now you don’t have any socks?”

“Yes, that’s correct.” 

Ava and Camila stared at each other in silence for a full minute.

“I did laundry yesterday.” Ava finally said.

“Oh, that’s – uh – that’s good for you.”

Ava fought back a smile. “I mean, I have clean socks if you want some? They’d probably fit you better than Lilith’s would anyway.”

Camila glanced away from Ava’s probing eyes. “You know what? That’s okay, you keep your socks. I should, um, just be getting back to bed.” Camila started slowly making her way to the stairs away from Ava. “You know, got a busy day tomorrow, so yeah. Night, Ava.” And then she slipped down the dark staircase and into the night,

Ava stood in the hallway for a moment, puzzled as to what just happened, before walking back to her room and climbing back into bed, all thoughts of getting water gone after the strange encounter. 

If Ava had been listening closely, she would’ve heard Lilith laughing hysterically behind her closed door. 

-

The second time Ava suspected there was something weird going on between Camila and Lilith was on a rainy Wednesday in September, just two weeks later, when Ava went home from campus early while she was fighting a cold. She had been coughing and feverish all morning and decided that she could spare skipping her afternoon class in favor of a healthy dose of Dayquil and a four-hour nap.

Upon returning to Cat’s Cradle, Ava quickly found that she wasn’t the only one home. 

Now, it wasn’t unusual for one of the Sister Warriors to be at the house if they didn’t need to be on campus for class, but Ava knew for a fact that they all had classes around this time on Wednesdays. So, Ava was confused, to say the least, when she heard laughter coming from the living room. 

Ava walked through the kitchen and peered into the living room. There on the couch, sitting _very_ close together, were Camila and Lilith, laughing at something they were watching on Camila’s iPad.

“What are you guys doing?” Ava asked, startling Camila so much that she threw her iPad onto the floor.

“What the hell, Ava?” Lilith choked out as she caught her breath. She had jumped a good three feet away from Camila after Ava announced her arrival. “Don’t sneak up on us like that!”

Ava glanced between them in confusion. “Aren’t you both supposed to be in class right now? It’s on the calendar.”

Lilith and Camila blurted out that their classes had been cancelled, but they didn’t sound very convincing.

“Both of your classes were cancelled? That’s awfully convenient.”

“Aren’t _you_ supposed to be in class?” Lilith snapped in lieu of answering Ava’s question.

“I came home cause I’m not feeling good.” Ava let out a raspy cough as if to prove her point. “Figured I should protect the rest of the student body from whatever disease I’ve been plagued with.”

Camila gave her a concerned look. “Oh, I have cold medicine if you’d like some? I’ll go get it!” She shot up from the couch and ran off before Ava even had a chance to answer. 

Left alone with Lilith, the two just stared at each other; Lilith’s expression daring Ava to say anything else.

“So…what were you and Camila doing before I showed up?” Ava asked, because she just couldn’t help herself.

“Oh, you know. Just – things.” Lilith said evasively. Ava was about to ask her to elaborate on that when Camila returned, a bottle of cold medicine in hand. 

“Here you go,” She said, shoving the medicine towards Ava. 

Ava pouted. “Aww, I hate grape flavored Dayquil.”

Camila patted her arm sympathetically. “You know, you really don’t look so good.” She said. “you should probably go lay down and get some rest.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” Ava agreed as Camila steered her out of the living room. She really didn’t feel good. “Don’t mind me, feel free to go back to whatever you and Lilith were getting up to.” 

And Ava wasn’t sure if it was just her fevered brain playing tricks on her, but she could’ve sworn she saw Camila blush.

-

The third time Ava suspected there was something weird going on between Camila and Lilith was on a Saturday night at ArqTech, the weekend after the last incident. The Sister Warriors and Shannon (who was visiting Mary for the weekend from DC, where she had moved after graduating a few months ago) were occupying their usual table in the back while they waited for it to get late enough in the night for the dancing to start.

So far, Ava hadn’t told anyone about her suspicions about Camila and Lilith, not even to Beatrice. She wanted to have rock-solid proof before she brought it up to the others. Ever since she had caught them skipping class together (Ava was sure they were skipping because they had been way too shady with their whole ‘cancelled’ excuse), Ava had been keeping a close eye on the pair, waiting to see what would happen next.

When the dance floor started, the Sister Warriors all got up excitedly, ready to dance the night away. Ava offered to get herself and Beatrice another drink to sip on, so she headed to the bar. While Sylvia was making her two vodka sodas, Ava turned away from the bar to see where her girlfriend had gotten to, and that’s when she saw it. See, Beatrice, Mary, and Shannon were all on the dance floor having a good time together. But Camila and Lilith, they were still over by their table. And if Ava wasn’t much mistaken, she had just seen Lilith pull Camila into a quick, lingering kiss.

Ava laughed ecstatically as she took her drinks from Sylvia and ran over to Beatrice. She pushed both of the drinks into Beatrice’s hands, yelled something incoherent about going to the bathroom, then ran over to where Camila and Lilith were just making their way to the dance floor. Ava grabbed them both by an arm and dragged them to the back hall of the bar where the bathrooms were, shoving them both into one of the single units and closing the door tightly behind them.

“ _Jesus_ , Ava.” Lilith said, rubbing her arm. “What was that about?”

“ _I saw you_.” Ava sang with an impish smile. “Just now, I saw you! You two are totally sleeping together, aren’t you?”

Lilith and Camila were speechless. And Ava’s smile just grew wider.

“You two thought you were being so secretive, sneaking around like that. But it all makes sense now!” Ava rubbed her hands together, looking a little manic in her joy. “The ‘socks’ incident. The ‘cancelled’ classes. How long has this been going on, huh?”

Camila and Lilith looked at each other in a silent battle.

Finally, Camila let out a sigh and looked back at Ava, chewing nervously on her lip. “About five months now.” She admitted.

Ava’s jaw dropped.

“ _Five months_?” She couldn’t believe it. “I thought it just started this semester! It’s been five months?”

Lilith rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. “Do you have a problem with that?”

Ava shook her head quickly. “No, no. Are you kidding? This is great! Aww, you guys!” Ava wrapped her arms around them tightly and pulled them into a group hug. Lilith scowled and tried to break free, but Camila just laughed and tightened their embrace.

“Can you do us a favor, Ava, and not tell the others tonight?” Camila asked. “We’ll tell you all about everything tomorrow, we promise.”

Ava nodded her agreement as she looked between her two friends fondly. “Who would’ve thought the two of you would end up together. How cliché. The tall, broody one with the short ball of sunshine. That’s just classic.”

Camila beamed, throwing a bright smile towards Lilith.

“Yeah, yeah.” Lilith grumbled, but she couldn’t help but smile back.

-

They told the whole story the following morning, just as they promised they would.

Beatrice and Mary gaped at the pair in shock after they admitted they were dating, while Shannon said, “Didn’t I say they should be a thing _months_ ago?”

Ava just wiggled in her seat, unable to contain her glee at having been the only one of their friends to have figured it out (and the irony of that being the case wasn’t lost on anybody). 

As it turned out, Shannon had indeed planted the idea into Camila and Lilith’s heads months ago, back when Ava and Beatrice had first gotten together. Since then, they had discussed the matter every now and then, mostly laughing it off as ridiculous. Until a day last April where things changed. 

Ava would never have put money on Lilith being the romantic one in this relationship, but according to Camila, things only progressed with them after Lilith worked up the nerve to ask Camila on a date. It was cheesy as things could get; Ava decided. They had gone hiking together, just the two of them, out to some watering hole in the mountains. Camila said Lilith had been funny and charming and the rest was history. Camila was a goner.

They decided not to tell anyone right away, enjoying having their relationship be just between the two of them. And when summer break came, Camila had gone back to Lilith’s family estate for most of it, where they really kicked their relationship off. That was interesting, considering Camila had claimed that she had spent the summer with her own family; who knew she could be so deceptive? After the summer break, Camilil decided they wanted to keep the charade up when school started again, not quite ready to share with the group that they had gone from just friends to a couple. 

Then Ava just had to go and ruin all their plans.

“I don’t even feel bad.” Ava said, grinning at them. 

“I can’t believe you kept that a secret for so long.” Beatrice said. “I’ve got to say, I’m impressed.”

“Look at us, all in happy and healthy relationships.” Ava wiped away at fake tears. “Who would’ve thought we’d all get so lucky?”

“Just to set the record straight,” Mary spoke up from where she was sitting on the couch with Shannon in her lap. “Out of all of us, Shannon and I are definitely the hottest couple.”

“ _What_?” Lilith said in disbelief.

“That’s just so _not_ correct.” Ava protested.

Mary and Shannon just laughed.

***

_Present Day_

To Lilith and Camila’s credit, they didn’t seem too bothered as Ava recounted their relationship. Instead, they just smiled softly at each other and held hands under the table.

“It was fun sneaking around like that, wasn’t it?” Camila asked with a sparkle in her eyes. Lilith just pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, before turning back to Ava.

“I’ve got to say Baby H, your college experience must have been pretty boring if that was the strangest thing you’ve experienced.”

Mary laugh. “Oh, I think we can all agree that finding out the two of you were together was strange.”

“I was shocked, to say the least.” Beatrice added. “Mostly that Ava knew about it before the rest of us, but still shocked.”

“Yeah, Ava figuring it out was pretty out of left field.” Camila agreed. 

Ava shrugged. “What can I say? I’m always full of surprises.”

“Speaking of surprises,” Beatrice said, turning to Ava. “Ready to hear my Buffalo? Because it involves a night that I’m pretty sure none of us had been even remotely prepared for.”

Ava gave her a quizzical look while she racked her brain. “You don’t mean…”

Lilith gasped in horror. “No, not the _Gummy Night_?”

Beatrice just smirked.

***

_Two Years and Two Months Ago_

It was supposed to be an evening full of friends, junk food, and B-list movies; nothing more than that.

And it would’ve been, had Ava not accidentally found Mary’s stash of cannabis gummies in her desk when looking for the charger of the projector she was letting Ava borrow.

Mary had gone to hang out with her new friend Shannon for the night (whom she had met in class a few weeks ago), so Ava decided that she would invite Beatrice, Camila, and Lilith over to her dorm to keep her company (she could’ve just as easily gone to Camila and Beatrice’s dorm, but they didn’t have a projector for prime movie watching). The others had agreed to come over, though no one was expecting their movie night to turn out the way it did.

So, anyways, Ava had these gummies.

Now, had she actually read the label instead of just getting excited over stealing candy from Mary, she probably would’ve saved her friends a whole lot of trouble. However, in a classic Ava move, she instead offered up the candies to her friends when they arrived. Two gummies each and they finished off the bag, no problem. And honestly, Mary probably wouldn’t even notice they were gone. 

The four of them set up in Ava’s bed with their backs to the wall, with Ava squished in between Beatrice and Camilla. The projector was settled precariously on a desk chair between her bed and Mary’s bed, using the open space of Mary’s wall as a viewing screen. They got maybe halfway through their first movie (they had settled on starting with _The Roommate_ , both for the irony and for Leighton Meester) when Ava started to feel a little…weird. She couldn’t really describe it, but something was definitely off.

It was like everything was suddenly happening in slow motion. 

Completely forgetting about the movie, Ava placed one of her hands out in front of her and waggled her fingers. They moved in a wave and Ava cracked up at how wiggly they suddenly seemed to be. She put out her other hand to join the first and doubled over in silent laughter as she made spirit fingers out towards the screen.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lilith’s voice suddenly broke in through Ava’s thoughts.

Ava glanced over towards her to find Lilith giving her the weirdest look. Ava just snorted in response. “Look at them.” Ava held her hands up to make sure Lilith could see them. “They’re all _bendy_.”

Camila giggled from Ava’s other side and she raised her own hands up. “Wow, you’re so right! They _are_ bendy.” Beatrice just stared, mesmerized as Camila slotted her fingers together and started doing the wave with her arms.

Ava’s cheeks hurt from smiling so hard as she watched Camila, though her friend seemed slightly out of focus. _What the hell was happening?_ It didn’t take too much longer before the gummies really started to kick in and Ava felt like she was floating. 

Looking back, she really doesn’t remember much of what happened after that.

There were a lot of conversations, strange ones about what kind of things giraffes might think about during their day-to-day life and trying to figure out just how many ‘Now That’s What I Call Music!’ CDs there were, all while they devoured the entire box of Oreo cookies Beatrice had brought. At some point, Camila and Lilith started singing in harmony a song that they made up on the spot, and Ava and Beatrice got into an intense game of thumb war that ended with them wrestling on the floor. And after a while, they all just laid there while they discussed what kind of life could exist beyond Earth and what would happen to them when they died. Ava could recall spending a lot of time stroking the carpet and wondering just what that stain was at the foot of her bed.

When Mary got home later that night, she found Ava, Beatrice, and Lilith laying on the floor like starfish as they stared at the ceiling while Camila had taken up residency underneath Mary’s desk, cocooned in a blanket and giggling whenever one of them made a sound.

“Mary! You’re home!” Ava said excitedly as she walked into the dorm room. “Don’t be mad, but we may have eaten your candies.”

“What candies?” Mary asked with a frown. “And why are you all on the floor?”

“The gummies that were in your desk! They were good, we ate them all. Should’ve asked first though, sorry.”

Mary’s eyes widened as she spotted the empty ‘candy’ bag in the trash. “Ava, you didn’t…You idiot! Those weren’t candies, they were edibles! Do you know how much I spent on those?”

Ava frowned. “Edible? They were more than edible, they were delicious!”

“No,” Mary rolled her eyes. “They had weed in them, you dumbass. You’re all high as kites right now, aren’t you?” Ava tried to deny that they were, but it was pretty much proved case and point by Beatrice and Lilith, who were attempting to high-five but missed and slapped each other in the face instead. 

Mary started to laugh at the sight of them, shaking her head in disbelief. “I can’t believe you all got accidentally high tonight and _I missed it_. Wait till I tell Shannon about this!”

It didn’t take too long after for them all to gradually fall asleep, too high to really do anything else. Ava can remember feeling really nauseous beforehand and wishing that all of the feelings she was having would just go away. It’s very possible that she also started crying into Mary’s shoulder (but really the memories were pretty hazy so who knows if that actually happened), but then Mary gave her some water and tucked her safely into her bed beside Beatrice and after that Ava slept harder than she ever has before.

-

When Ava woke up the next morning, still feeling foggy from the night before, and checked her phone, she was amused by what she found. Her Google Chrome app was open, where her most recent search was ‘hi google I am really high how do I make it stop’.

Curious, Ava opened her search history and couldn’t help the laughter that burst out of her.

 **Google Search:** ‘how to stop being high right now’

 **Google Search:** ‘can I die from being too high’

 **Google Search:** ‘what’s Lilith’s favorite animal she won’t tell me even though I asked nicely’

 **Google Search:** ‘I don’t want to be high anymore please help’

 **Google Search:** ‘do trees have feelings’

-

It goes without saying, but Beatrice, Lilith, and Camila were not too happy with Ava when they all managed to wake up, all still feeling slightly ill and groggy from the remaining effects of the edibles. Mary, however, thought the whole thing was hilarious and took great liberty in describing _just_ what they all had been like when under the influence. 

Some of Mary’s highlights of the night included Ava’s rant about how birds weren’t real and were a government conspiracy to spy on the general public ( _“Have you ever **seen** a baby pigeon? I didn’t think so!”_), Beatrice’s in depth lecture on how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich, Lilith braiding Ava’s hair while they sang the F.U.N. song from _SpongeBob_ , and Camila’s emotional breakdown when she went to the bathroom and started crying when she saw that Mary and Ava shared a toothbrush holder ( _“I’m so happy your toothbrushes are friends. Just look at them!”_ ). 

For all intents and purposes, it sounded like a fun night. Ava just wished she could remember more of it.

***

_Present Day_

“I would like to propose a toast.” Ava said, holding up a slice of pizza and looking around the table at the Sister Warriors. After the rousing game of High, Low, Buffalo had concluded, their group had set about making homemade pizzas for dinner and were just sitting back down to start eating.

“These last four years with you all have been undoubtedly the best of my life thus far, and I think it’s important that I take a minute to thank all of you for making it what it was.” Ava began, uncharacteristically serious. “Because without you all – without my Sister Warriors – I don’t think I would be half the person I am today. I know that we still have a few days left in this house together, but I’m really going to miss coming home to my family every day.”

“First, to Mary.” Ava pointed her pizza slice at Mary, who returned her look with an amused smile. “After four years of living together, I’m not sure what I’ll do now that you won’t be just down the hall. I hope you know that I fully plan to be crashing at yours and Shannon’s apartment in DC on a weekly basis, just in case you thought you were getting rid of me for good. Call me Jesus, cause I’m coming back.”

“Camila,” Ava switched her gaze (while simultaneously dodging the piece of pepperoni Mary lobbed at her) to the shorter girl across the table from her. A string of cheese dripped down from her pizza and onto the table, but Ava ignored it. “You have always been the voice of reason in this house and you make the best goddamn sweet nettle tea there is. When you get back from Europe, I really hope you’ll consider moving to Philly, or at least close to Philly, because there will be a small hole in my life without you in it.” Camila beamed back at her.

“Beatrice,” Ava looked at her girlfriend beside her. “Well, I think by now you know how much you mean to me, so I’ll save the sweet talk till we’re alone in bed tonight.” There were matching long groans from Mary and Lilith, but Ava powered on through. “You’re kind of stuck with me now, so I’ll just say how much I’m looking forward to starting our new life together once we leave this place.” Beatrice smiled, but grabbed Ava’s wrist to direct the pizza slice away from where it was close to hitting her in the face.

“And Lilith,” Ava said, gave the taller girl a solemn nod. “Good luck out there, champ. I wish you the best.” Lilith snorted and rolled her eyes, but she leaned across the table to give Ava a friendly jab on the shoulder. 

“Right back-atcha, Baby H.”

“That was an incredibly _cheesy_ speech, even for you Ava.” Beatrice said as she took a bite of her pizza.

“But a pretty _gouda_ one, right?” Ava smirked while Mary said, “I will personally injure the next person to make a cheese pun I swear to _God_.”

“I can’t believe this is really the end.” Camila said, while she looked fondly around at the others. “Who would’ve thought this ragtag group we formed freshman year would survive for this long?”

“Seriously,” Lilith agreed. “I mean, the four of us made sense, but keeping Ava around was a surprising move on our part.”

“She was definitely a wild card, that’s for sure.” Mary said.

“Oh, come on, really?” Ava complained. “After all those nice things I _just_ said, and you still can’t admit how much my presence has improved your lives, can you?”

Mary chuckled. “You know we love you, Baby H.”

Lilith nodded. “Uh huh, now shut up and eat your pizza.”

Ava laughed as she took in her friends once more. “Yeah…I really love you all, too.”

***

 _One Week Later_

Ava and Beatrice, decked out in their caps and gowns, walked through Centennial Quad just after their graduation ceremony ended. The other Sister Warriors had already left for Cat’s Cradle to get changed before reconvening for celebratory drinks at ArqTech, but Ava wanted to make one last lap of Areala University.

The couple stopped when they reached the large statue of Areala, taking a moment to stare up in wonder at their school’s founder. Ava felt a tingling in her fingertips as she recalled a different time when she had stood in this same spot. So much has changed since that fateful day, and Ava couldn’t help the wide smile that broke out across her face.

“What?” Beatrice asked from beside Ava, noticing her smile.

“I was just thinking…remember the day we first got together?”

“Of course, how could I ever forget?”

“Well, that morning I had gone on a run through campus, and I came to Areala here to ask her for some guidance. You know, to see if she could give me any advice on if I should tell you how I felt or not.”

Beatrice chuckled. “And? Did you find what you were looking for?”

“Do you see that little spot? That faded spot there on her left shoulder?” Ava pointed to where she was indicating.

“I guess?” (She did not).

“A bird pooped on Areala, right in that spot, just as I was talking to her.” Ava explained. “I took that to mean I had to just go for it. With you, I mean. It was the sign I was looking for.”

Beatrice looked at Ava incredulously. “You mean to tell me.” She said slowly. “That our relationship started all because a bird pooped on a statue?” 

Ava laughed and put an arm around Beatrice’s waist, pulling her in closer. “It’s a pretty shitty story, I’ll admit. But I couldn’t make that up if I tried. That is exactly how it happened.”

Beatrice just sighed and shook her head. She turned to face Ava, looping her arms around Ava’s neck. “You never cease to amaze me, you know that?”

“What can I say? I like to _parakeet_ you on your toes.”

“…Was that a bird pun?”

“Why yes, yes it was.”

“Hmm It would have been stronger if you had said, ‘keep me on my _crows_ ’.”

Ava stared dumbfounded at Beatrice. 

“Damn it, yours was so much better!” Ava cried while throwing her hands into the air. “ _Crows_ , how could I forget _crows_!” 

Beatrice pressed their foreheads together, shaking with silent laughter “I love you. So much.”

Ava smiled broadly as she drew Beatrice into a long, languid kiss.

“I love you, too. In this life, and the next.”

“In this life, and the next.” 

***

“Sylvia!” Ava shouted as she skipped into ArqTech hand-in-hand with Beatrice. “Hey, Sylvia!” Ava dragged Beatrice up to the bar where they were graced with a small smile from Sylvia as she was busying mixing together some drinks. Ava allowed the bartender to finish her task before drawing her into conversation.

“Guess what Sylvia? We did it!” Ava said excitedly, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “We graduated! After four long years of tests and studying and bullshitting pointless essays, we’ve finally got our degrees. Can you believe it? And better yet, on Monday Beatrice and I are moving in together in our own little apartment in Philly and then in just a few weeks we’re going on a trip to Europe!”

Sylvie smiled at the pair, and Ava might’ve been seeing things, but she was pretty sure there was a sad glint in the bartender’s eyes.

“I guess this calls for a celebratory drink.” Sylvia laid out three test tube shot glasses and poured tequila into each. Sylvia raised her glass, tilting it towards Ava and Beatrice. “Congratulations on your graduation. While I’m proud of you both for reaching this milestone, I’ll admit that I’m going to miss you two running rampant at my bar.”

“Here, here.” Ava said with a wide smile.

As Ava and Beatrice slammed their finished shots back onto the bar, another woman, one they had never seen before, walked up beside Sylvia behind the bar.

Ava smiled at the new woman. “Sylvia, I didn’t know you hired a new bartender.” She said. Ava leaned forward, squinting at the bartender’s nametag. “It’s nice to meet you…J?”

Ava looked up in horror, glancing between Sylvia and ‘J’. 

“What – what does the _J_ stand for?”

J just raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Ava stood frozen while she could feel Beatrice stifling a laugh beside her. Sylvia and _J_ shared matching expressions of amusement while emotions battled out across Ava’s face.

“Justine?” Ava finally blurted out. “Is your name Justine?”

“Uhm, no?” J said, and she was fighting back a smile. Sylvia ducked her head to hide her own laughter as Ava continued on her tirade.

“Jennifer?”

“No.”

“Janet?”

“No.” 

“Joan?”

“No.”

“Jackie? Come on, it’s got to be Jackie.”

“You got it.”

“Really?!”

“ _No_.”

Ava deflated as she struggled to come up with another possible J name.

“Tell her she gets one guess for every drink she buys.” Sylvia told J. “Or else she’ll be pestering you nonstop.”

J smiled mischievously. “Oh, that’s a fantastic idea.”

“That’s not fair.” Ava pouted. “Sylvia, you know that this is my last night at ArqTech. How could you throw this mystery at me _now_?”

Sylvia and J laughed. “Guess you better get drinking then if you you’re going to have any hopes of figuring it out.” Sylvia said, throwing a wink at Ava across the bar.

Ava narrowed her eyes. “Fine.” She hissed. “But believe you me, this isn’t over. I _will_ learn your name tonight.” Ava spun on her heel and stalked away from the bar to the table where Mary, Camila, and Lilith were sitting.

“Sister Warriors!” Ava yelled loudly. “Drinks are all on me tonight! Get ordering and help me come up with every ‘J’ name there is because god damnit I am not leaving this bar until I get it right!”

“Ava, no. This is a terrible idea!” Beatrice said exasperatedly, and she followed her girlfriend to where their friends sat waiting for them. 

Once the pair was gone, Jillian glanced at Sylvia with her eyebrows raised. “So, I take it that was why you gave me a nametag with just my first initial?”

Sylvia chuckled while she pulled the dirty shot glasses off the bar. “That went over even better than I thought it would. I’m so glad you played along.” Her eyes lingered on Ava and Beatrice, and she smiled fondly after them. Damn it, she was really going to miss those kids. “I just wanted one last chance to screw with her. For old times, sake.” 

Fin.


End file.
